Take a knee

racial tensions spike after football player kneels during national anthem

Nikita Drake, Staff Writer

Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers quarterback, refusing to stand during the national anthem has been a successful way of protesting.
According to the First Amendment, exercising the right to peacefully protest is a basic right that comes with being an American citizen. Time and time again protesters such as Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela have proved that simple nonviolent protests are effective.
Those who do not support Kaepernick believe that he personally has no reason to protest, that he does not suffer any hardships that constitute a need to protest. They believe that this act is an insult to veterans of the United States and the basic principles it was founded on.
The fact of the matter is, people of color are systematically repressed in the United States. The racial biases built within the judicial system and kept up in social groups are able to restrain their influence in society.
“It’s sad we shame him,” junior Sammy Wahome said. “We should be worrying about the bigger picture.”
People of color make up only 30 percent of the population; however, they make up 60 percent of those in jail according to Center for American Progress. The group also states that one in 15 black men are incarcerated compared to one in 106 white men.
Along with the disproportionate imprisonment rates, the Washington Post wrote that black Americans are two and a half times more likely to be shot and killed by police than their white counterparts.
When looking at pure numbers, more white people are killed by police; however, based on statistics African Americans have a higher chance of being killed by the police. As of July, at least 136 people of color have been killed by cops according to the Guardian, which keeps track of police brutality in America.
The more popular cases like Michael Brown in Ferguson, and Eric Garner in New York brought to light the lack of media coverage over the majority of these murders. Media only covers the cases that get the most controversy, ignoring the lesser known cases.
Black Lives Matter is a group that advocates for the lesser known and more mainstream cases.
“The BLM group identifies several things that need to be changed and what we can do to help,” sophomore Tae Alcorn said.
According to their website, Black Lives Matter is an activist group that combats internalized racism within society. This important group is meant to rebuild the Black liberation movement, which empowers African Americans to stand up against police brutality and backlash from white supremacist groups.
“#BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society,” the Black Lives Matter website said.
The group has gained support from many celebrities, including president Barack Obama, singer Beyonce and actress Zendaya. These influential African American celebs brought the movement into the public eye, but other groups were created to combat it.
“Not only does the Black Lives Matter group support the people of color, it supports the unity of everyone as a whole,” Alcorn said.
Still, in response to Black Lives Matter, White Lives Matter was formed. This white supremacy group is lead by a neo-Nazi named Rebecca Barnette. This group was declared a hate group by the Southern Poverty and Law Center due to their racist values.
“Its main activists, to put it plainly, are unvarnished white supremacists,” the Southern Poverty and Law Center said.
Kaepernick has every right to kneel during the national anthem and based on the violence and oppression that people of color face, kneeling is exactly what people should be doing. The anthem says “liberty and justice for all” but that is not being abided by.