What began last season as a quiet protest by former San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick—who knelt during the National Anthem before football games—represents the essence of freedom of speech and expression as guaranteed in our country.
From the beginning, Kaepernick and the other players who have participated in this protest this year have made their position unmistakably clear: their sole objective is to draw attention to the persistence of racism throughout American society at every level, and to demand that this issue be confronted without delay.
While the validity of this concern cannot reasonably be disputed, we acknowledge that many people hold the view that political protests have no place at football games and object to players kneeling during the National Anthem.
These individuals are entitled to their perspective, just as Kaepernick is entitled to his.
Yet those who, like President Trump, seek to undermine the protesters by claiming they are showing disrespect to military service members are mistaken on two fundamental counts.
Most importantly, the protesters have never made disparaging remarks about military personnel, nor have they indicated that their protest targets the military in any way. What is actually happening is that Trump and his allies are making this accusation to delegitimize the protesters and deflect attention from the genuine concern about racism that motivates their action.
Additionally, the National Anthem has never served as a tribute to the military. The custom of performing the Anthem at sporting events exists to express our collective identity as one nation—encompassing all Americans—rather than to honor only those who have served or are serving in the armed forces.
The Anthem reminds us that despite supporting opposing teams during competition, we ultimately share a common bond as one people and one nation.
Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the National Anthem—a choice that has effectively ended his career, at least temporarily—represents a courageous stand and serves as an inspiring reminder to all Americans, particularly young people, of the right to engage in peaceful protest that our country protects.