It's pretty hard to ignore what's been happening in the NFL lately, especially because it's been taking over social media and national news all week. Trump stated that any "son-of-a-bitch" who "disrespects the flag" during the national anthem should be kicked off the field and fired.
But what exactly does it mean to disrespect the American flag? To disrespect the American flag is to let it touch the ground, wear it as clothing such as a garment, carry the flag flat or horizontally, or to use it as decoration such as on paper plates and napkins that will get thrown away. Yet we do most of these things in our day to day lives - so why does Trump make such a big deal over our right as American citizens to kneel during the national anthem?
Rosa Parks, when refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white passenger, was not protesting public transportation. She was protesting the injustice of racism and segregation - and that's exactly what the NFL is doing. They are protesting the injustice in this country, not protesting the flag or disrespecting our military. Not one word came out of an NFL player's mouth about our military. I guess what really comes into question here is what the American flag represents. The American flag does not represent our military, despite their associations with each other. Therefore, kneeling during the national anthem is not disrespectful to our military. The American flag represents our country as a whole and the freedoms we have as American citizens. Those freedoms include our right to sit, stand, or kneel during the national anthem.
By his words this past week, Trump is indicating that it is okay to riot and kill innocent people and wave the Nazi flag, but if a person peacefully protests the injustice and racism happening in this country he's a "son-of-a-bitch." What happened to freedom of speech? How is violently rioting and waving the Nazi flag not disrespectful toward what we stand for as a country? Yes, it is freedom of speech - which is exactly my case here in defending the NFL - however, Trump refused to denounce the waving of the Nazi flag but had no problem saying any player who kneels during the national anthem should be fired. Trump said anyone who practices their rights and freedom should be fired. What sense does that make?
I wish people were as angry over the racial injustice in this country as they are about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. That's the biggest problem in our country - turning a blind eye toward what's actually happening. The people in this country are rattled over kneeling, but refuse to recognize why NFL players are kneeling. There is no denying that there is racial injustice in this country. Men of color face 20% longer prison sentences than white men for the same crimes, an unarmed man of color is more likely to be stopped by a police officer than a white man, and men of color are highly more likely to be incarcerated than white men. You cannot look at those statistics and say that this is not racial injustice.
Until there is no more racial injustice in this country, I kneel with the NFL. I fully support our rights as American citizens to peacefully protest. It's not against the flag, and it's not against the military. It's against the racial injustice that people of color face.
So before you get yourself flustered over the NFL protest, try to realize why it's being done. Try putting yourself in the shoes of a person of color, who is more likely to serve a longer jail sentence, more likely to be arrested, and twice as likely (when unarmed) to be shot dead than a white man simply because of the color of their skin.
