In the recent months 49ers player Colin Kaepernick has captured waves of different opinions for his protests during the widely watched NFL games.
“I’ll continue to take a knee, I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed,” Kaerpernick said in an interview with USA Today.
Kaepernick says that he is taking a knee not for himself, but for those who don’t have a voice and need to be heard. This is in light of the recent police brutality against African Americans in the US, and the impressment he says he feels is on his people.
“It represents something different for each person who chooses to express themselves with that act,” girls basketball coach Tammy Geron said. “Whether I like it or not, I also believe in our freedoms in this country to express ourselves in civilized manners.”
While everyone has their personal beliefs, some go deeper than others.
People’s life experiences and communities often affect their opinions and views. This idea goes along with different perspectives on what the symbol of the American flag and National Anthem means. For Kaepernick and his followers, kneeling during the National Anthem calls attention to a worthy social issue, others feel kneeling during the National Anthem is disrespectful toward our country and the people who fought/are fighting in our military.
“I have family, I have friends that have gone and fought for this country,” said Kaepernick when asked what the flag stood for and what he thought kneeling during the National Anthem addressed. “They fight for liberty, justice and for everyone. People are dying in vain for a country that isn’t holding up their end of the bargain and giving freedom and equality to everyone.”
Coach Geron stands for the National Anthem unlike Kaepernick but believes he deserves the freedom to kneel if he thinks that’s what is right,
“I stand for the national anthem to show respect to all of our men and women in the armed forces who are serving us currently and have served us in the past to allow us freedoms such as the freedom to stand or kneel during the national anthem,” said Geron.
Track distance coach Nick Ellis says players who kneel are executing their 1st amendment right and they are using their platforms to call attention to an issue that they feel needs a remedy.
“I think it is important for people to do what they feel is right. Forced patriotism is not real patriotism but genuine expression of patriotism brings people together,” Ellis said.
Junior Savion Southers says the National Anthem is a symbol of freedom and equality, people are kneeling during the National Anthem because they aren’t feeling the equality side to the symbol.
“People are standing up for a change and kneeling during the National Anthem has became a peaceful protest towards making a change,” Southers said.
While Southers sees the protest as appropriate, Indiana National Gauardsman Staff Sgt. Robert Lincourt takes it more personally.
“There are much better ways to address issues than disrespecting symbols and icons of our country,” Sgt. Lincourt said. “I take personal disrespect as I sacrificed 10 months of my life to serve this country in Afghanistan. I missed the first 6 months of my son’s life while serving over seas. I did not serve this nation to come home and see the level of disrespect that I see in the form of kneeling during the National Anthem.”
Junior Savanna Pinkston sees the National Anthem as respect to the troops but if a teammate has a legit reason to not stand she will be supportive.
“For most people not to stand these days it’s a racial issue. I understand that black lives matter and I like to preach that but I am still going to stand for the National Anthem,” Pinkston said.
Although Junior Sean East supports the nonviolent movement he stands for the military fighting for our freedom and takes the time to thank them.
“I support the cause but I’m not going to do it because I don’t want to bring that kind of attention to myself but I like the nonviolent way of standing up for thing that are a problem,” East said.
Sgt. First class National Guard officer Kristen Dattilo feels more strongly about this topic than others as she has spent the last 17 years of her life serving this nation.
“Whether I am at my house or a sporting event I stand when the national anthem is played and I expect total silence when anyone is there with and complete respect for the flag,” Dattilo said, “it doesn’t reference race at all, it was written with such passion for the values of this country, it’s democracy and its independence from oppressive governments.”
The bottom-line is we live in America and everyone is free to express his or her own opinions just like in this article. Although people agree and disagree with this way of protesting its an individuals prerogative to express that opinion in whatever way they choose.
