Dear Tomi Lahren:

I recently watched some of your "Final Thoughts" videos and up until this incident with Kaepernick I honestly had no idea who you were nor had I even heard your name. From your videos, I can conclude that you are a well-off, conservative, white woman with a lot to say. Whether I actually agree with any of the things you say is up to discussion.

Not long ago, you discussed the event where Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem and you stated that he—just as well as you—has the first amendment right to practice his freedom of speech. That is correct. Although it seems to me that all your discussions revolve around the idea that he shouldn’t practice his free speech because you don’t condone his method of doing so. Allow me to practice my freedom of speech while I critique your "Final Thoughts" videos involving Kaepernick and explain to you the reasoning behind his actions, whether I am supportive of his methods or not.

In your first video, “Sit Down Colin Kaepernick” you stated that Kaepernick should leave if he doesn’t think America is great. Doesn’t your party’s presidential candidate, Donald Trump, preach about “make America great again” and he gets praised for it, yet when Kaepernick says America isn’t great and he gets told to leave the country? Doesn’t that seem like a double-standard?

You say the anthem doesn’t represent a “white America or a black America”, yet the original anthem did reminisce about a white America when black people were not free. You also ask what he’s done and what his message is, although I’m sure you know the answer to both of those questions. He used his influence in the media to shed some light on the issue of police brutality against blacks, as well as gained some supporters. He has even offered to donate $1 million to groups that are affected by these issues that he is trying to protest.

You keep mentioning the white people in his life as those he should feel privileged to have been raised and influenced by them. Obviously there will be many considering that white people are the majority, therefore that is a redundant observation, similarly to the statistics about the fact that more white people are killed by police than black people. White people account for 62 percent of the population, yet only 49 percent of those killed by police officers are white, and while black people only account for 13 percent of the population, 24 percent of those killed by the police are black. Kaepernick is not blaming white people for the problems in black communities and he never said that this is a “racist, horrible country” nor that white people are “racist and horrible."

You ask “who’s getting away with murder?” How about the police officer responsible for the death of Michael Brown? Or the police officer who put a single fatal bullet through Jamar Clark's head? Maybe it’s the police officers that killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice after they mistook his toy gun for a real weapon?

You ask “what changed to make you so resentful of your country?” How about the 102 unarmed black people that were killed by police in 2015 alone? Maybe it’s the fact that in only 10 of those 102 cases were the police involved charged with a crime? Maybe because only two of these deaths resulted in convictions of officers involved, yet only one of the two officers involved in one of the deaths received jail time? Even then, he was only sentenced to one year in jail and allowed to serve this time exclusively on weekends.

Who are you to tell a black man that he hasn’t been oppressed? The fact that he is biracial and was raised by white parents does not make his oppression any less noteworthy. Yes, the unemployment rate, as well as the homicide and dropout rates are higher for black people due to institutional racism. In case you were not aware, “institutional racism describes societal patterns that have the net effect of imposing oppressive or otherwise negative conditions against identifiable groups on the basis of race or ethnicity.” The basic structure of slavery and racial segregation did not fall apart overnight nor has it completely dissipated yet. For years, minority communities have received less funding and support than the average community, which has led to poverty, poor education, and higher crime rates. Issues such as unemployment, criminal activity, and single motherhood are the result of poverty, not race. In this country, black communities are the most susceptible to poverty due to institutional racism, so yes, there will be higher rates of issues such as the ones you mentioned. And a black president cannot terminate 232 years of institutional racism in eight years; that is an outrageous claim on your part.

In addition, many minorities have been and continue to be victims of racial profiling, meaning that despite their qualifications, they may be denied a job due to the color of their skin. Yes, you may argue that racial profiling is illegal in the workplace, but how is the government really going to monitor that? A study by the National bureau of Economic Research revealed that "job applicants with white names needed to send about 10 resumes to get one call back; those with African-American names needed to send around 15 resumes to get one call back." This suggested either employer prejudice or employer perception that race signals lower productivity.

In your video “Significant Changes for Kaepernick” you wonder what significant change he wants to see? You know what significant change he wants to see; you just refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of the issue. You (once again) mention “Obama’s failed America”, and once again, these problems don’t resolve overnight (or in eight years as a matter of fact). One thing I do agree on is that the anti-police socks he wore were foolish. Just like you shouldn’t generalize the entire black community, he shouldn’t generalize all policemen.

You keep mentioning that he and all his supporters should just leave if they aren’t pleased with the country, yet aren’t we a progressive country that prides itself on being free and giving people the opportunity to stand up for what they believe in? So you think that instead of facing the issue of oppression, all oppressed people (i.e. all black people) should just leave the country? Like you said, “together, we are strong; together, we can overcome” and that is precisely what they are trying to do, and unlike you, they are willing to work towards the betterment of our country. Kaepernick, just as well as his supporters, recognize that there is some work that needs to be done.

You say you’re tired of “race baiters playing the victim card," but who are you to blame them? Do you personally understand and relate to what it means to be racially oppressed? You act as if it’s so easy to overcome the difficulties that they face in their lives when you probably have a difficult time imagining that someone might actually have it hard. Kaepernick never even mentioned anything about white people, yet you keep belittling and stereotyping the black community. It seems like you’re the one making this about race, not him.

In your video “Veterans for Kaepernick”, you say your “haters” should go to other countries to witness “real” oppression, but have you ever firsthand witnessed oppression in America? Do you even comprehend oppression in America? Sure, other countries experience far worse oppression, but that doesn’t make the oppression in our country less relevant or significant.

You say he’s a “whiny, indulgent, attention-seeking crybaby”, yet it seems to me that that’s all you are right now. Why are you dragging this out? All you’ve done in your videos is vilify and condescend Colin Kaepernick, as well as the entire black community, all while withholding any relevant facts or information. For the most part, you seemingly avoided addressing the real issue at hand, as well as the whole reason Kaepernick sat down in the first place: black people in America are being single-handedly discriminated against by some police officers and these officers don’t face reasonable repercussions.

If you choose to make yet another video involving Kaepernick (which I’m sure you will), I would recommend creating a more structurally sound argument. You could begin by bringing a guest with an opposing view, such as someone involved with the Black Lives Matter movement, or maybe if you’re lucky, you can speak with Kaepernick himself and produce a real discussion. Until then, refrain from correlating Kaepernick’s thoughts and actions to your racially-motivated opinions.

Sincerely,

A first-generation black Hispanic female with a dual degree and a lot to say

P.S. God bless America.