Somehow the message got lost during delivery and it wasn’t until recently that it was retrieved. For more than a week after the world discovered 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick had been sitting for the national anthem before preseason games to protest racial inequity and police brutality, the conversation around his actions focused on how he did it and if he should have done it instead of why he did it.
Kaepernick took a stand . For years, decades even, athletes have been criticized for not using their platform to effect change. But when they do, they face as much criticism for how they go about it.
“What should horrify Americans is not Kaepernick’s choice to remain seated during the national anthem, but that nearly 50 years after (Muhammad) Ali was banned from boxing for his stance and Tommie Smith’s and John Carlos’ raised fists caused public ostracization and numerous death threats, we still need to call attention to the same racial inequities,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote in an op-ed for . “Failure to fix this problem is what’s really un-American here.”
Kaepernick had every right to sit for the national anthem just as everyone else has the right to stand. He had every right to say something, just as others have every right to disagree and voice their own opinions, a message Broncos coach Gary Kubiak has issued to his players.
“I’m not going to speak for anybody else. I can speak for myself,” Kubiak said last week. “My dad taught me two things that I believe in strongly. He told me to believe in my values and those types of things in life. Obviously I believe in our country and the national anthem very strongly. At the same time, he taught me to respect other people’s beliefs and values. I do that. We want our guys to stand for the national anthem, obviously. I think our guys do a great job, but I don’t babysit guys. I let them handle themselves. We tell our guys, ‘be yourself, be your best self.’ That’s the way we try to do things.”
But as the focus shifted on Kaepernick’s actions and the symbolism of the American flag, the rhetoric became construed and the message lost. He was said to be disrespecting those who have fought for our freedom, military came out in support of . He was said to be “anti-American,” even though the country has been molded by the actions and outcomes of peaceful protests.
He was accused of simply talking without taking action.
On Thursday, before the 49ers’ preseason game at San Diego, Kaepernick kneeled during the anthem as Nate Boyer, a former long-snapper and Army Green Beret, stood at his side in support. The new position was a compromise on a night that celebrated the military. Then Kaepernick vowed to donate $1 million of his salary this year to help communities end racial inequality, spinning the conversation back toward his original message and taking steps to truly effect change.
His voice was heard but his actions spoke louder.
“He’s not the first athlete to speak up, and he won’t be the last,” Broncos offensive tackle Russell Okung wrote in a piece for . “For those of us who have witnessed and lived injustice, struggled with racism, and experienced police brutality, we have an obligation and a responsibility to make our voices heard.
“Oh, and if you’re Colin Kaepernick, know that we see you, man. Thank you for reigniting the conversation and the movement for change.”
