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Let’s Make America Great: Colin Kaepernick’s Last Stand
- Updated: August 28, 2016
Colin Kaepernick’s Last Stand
Hello and welcome to the 45th piece you’ve read on Colin this weekend. I’ll be brief.
Given the current climate of division between the majority (white people) and POC (people of color aka not Caucasian), you’d think we’d be past this as a country. Being naive is one thing I’m really good at. Humanity will stop hating one another and racism will cease to exist. Ironically enough, the people who categorically deny this country is not the greatest country in the world for some of it’s citizens is why we can’t progress past this fact-based debate. Colin Kaepernick did something that was not only selfless but it embodied the spirit of the United States of America.
People really don’t care about progress and truth. The setting was Facebook (one of the greatest arena’s of racism and propaganda in the world today) and I bared witness to comments like, “If it wasn’t for the slave trade most black Americans would not be in the United States, but countries like the Congo or Sierra Leone wouldn’t have the privileges that the black America has.”
Here lies the problem and the basis of Kaepernick’s and any other athlete’s protest. Citizens who live under this flag, judicial system and creed feel like they live in a country invaded by radicals or dictatorship. Kaepernick, an athlete who makes 119 million dollars, had to take time out of his busy schedule of riding the bench to make a statement about the injustices and inequality of a country that prides itself on.
This isn’t about football or him not being the starting quarterback of the 49ers anymore. It’s about the blind eye people turn when an injustice occurs. The victim blaming the majority and really topical rationalizations of why people of color die in the streets of this great country.
“Well what was he wearing?” “What did he do to get shot?” “Don’t break the law and you won’t die.”
Tamir Rice, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling may have an argument for all of these retorts.
As a black man in this country, I fear for my life. This can be stated as an overreaction or totally irrational but is the absolute truth. Whether it be a black-on-black crime, hate crime, or a routine traffic stop, I live in fear. This fear has developed from years and numerous accounts of horror stories, personal experiences and most recently, social media. The kicker is nobody within the majority cares that fellow citizens living in the same country they adore share this fear.
Instead of asking, “Well damn, why does Colin Kaepernick feel that way about this great country that I live in?”, he’s been torn to shreds, called a “nigger” and had his adoptive Caucasian parents be the center of attention. Instead of working progressively towards a remedy of these feelings, they continued to be ignored and downplayed as it could be a lot worse. Be happy with what you got because we are the United States of America and we are number one.
Muhammad Ali, the man that transcended race (which he was quoted as after his death) once said, “I’m going to use my name and popularity to helping charities, helping people, uniting people and bringing people together because we need somebody in the world to make peace.” Kaepernick is using his name and popularity to address a major issue concerning the entire country. This isn’t about his body of work on the football field. This is a bigger issue that exists outside the tiny little box that is Levi Stadium.
All of the negativity directed at Kaepernick shows if you were in a position to help people, you would act selfish. Kaepernick did what he felt was right for those who do not have a voice. He is not a hero, better than anyone who served in the military nor a thug. He is a man who stood for something and did what he could to work towards progressively healing this nation.
For all threats and racism mention me at @YoungQwan.
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