Colin Kaepernick can sit during the national anthem and still be a patriot

Black athletes are only lauded if they play well and act humble

Pictured below is myself and Dr John Carlos. He is the man pictured to the right on the Silver Medal podium next to Tommie Smith with a black-gloved fist raised high as the National Anthem played during the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

I was able to meet him because he and my father are good friends and ran track together for the New York Pioneer Club in NYC in the 1960s. During the time this photo was being taken, my father was off fighting in Vietnam. Did Dr Carlos raise his fist to be intentionally disrespectful to his friend and teammate fighting overseas? Of course not. He did it to bring awareness to the injustice faced by people of color in this country at that time. My father supported him and his actions even as he was fighting for this country.

Which brings me to Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers quarterback, who recently came under fire for sitting during the national anthem. Why? In an interview with NFL Media, he said: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

I’ve heard many arguments about this. Some of the dumber ones are “if he doesn’t like this country then he can leave”. This is stupid, obviously. If somewhere is your home and you don’t like what’s happening, do you abandon it, or do you work to make it better? There is nothing wrong with saying I’m not a fan of this place right now, but it’s my home and I want to make it better.

There’s also the argument that he has not been oppressed because he was adopted by white parents and currently makes $19 million a year playing pro football. These people are taking his actions as an indictment of singular individual white people and not the greater macro society that allows oppression of POCs to continue. There have always been white people who have stood shoulder to shoulder with people of color to fight the injustices they’ve faced together. Also his salary is not evidence that he has not been oppressed but is evidence that he may have overcome it. He makes $19 million a year because he can do something that the vast majority of people cannot do. And that was not given to him, it was certainly earned.

Black athletes have always been lauded as long as they played the game well, acted humbly, and most importantly, kept their mouths shut about social issues that may be affecting their communities. The second they waiver from this socially-acceptable train of behavior, they are vilified and dragged through the mud.

Colin just joined a long and prestigious line of Black athletes who have been loved and just as quickly hated for speaking out about what he believes is wrong in America and needs to be fixed. People like Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali, Tommie Smith, and Dr John Carlos. Hopefully after using his influence to draw light to these issues, he can continue to devote his resources to helping to improve his home.

I believe being a patriot is held in wanting to improve the country you call home and not just standing with your hand over your heart at the National Anthem.

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Columbia University