Collin Kaepernick is an American Athlete. He was adopted by a white family and was seemingly raised very well. He grew up with opportunity and a good bit of privilege that is not ordinarily bestowed upon black men. Kaepernick is a quarter back for an NFL football team, which means that he must have some level of leadership and athletic skills. But his football skills aren’t what have been in the spotlight lately. Collin Kaepernick took a stand, by sitting down, during the National Anthem. Many were outraged by this. A lot of Americans felt that he was disrespecting this country and its military veterans, but many disagree, and so do I.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances”. This is what the first amendment states. Some would call Collin Kaepernick un-American, but what could be more American than protesting for your rights or the rights of the disenfranchised? The Constitution only protects you to some extent, but not entirely. No one is above reproach, and we can all be criticized. That is the nature of a free country. CK as I call him, is legally allowed to do what he did, and you are allowed to criticize him for it. Even though I believe that you shouldn’t.

I have seen on many social media platforms a variation of this similar sentence “You’re just an athlete. Shut up and play football”. Police brutality and the general oppression of minorities especially the oppression of black and brown people have always played a part in sports in our country. The media loved Muhammad Ali. He was an American icon, hell, he was an icon to the world. But men like Muhammad Ali, Tommie Smith, and John Carlos, all great athletes have taken a stand against our country’s mainstream ideals before. The same media and sports fans who honored Ali when he died, are scorning Collin Kaepernick now, and that tells me something about most of them.

The uproar over CK sitting during the National Anthem isn’t because of the perceived dishonor to our military, it’s because of the message he is exuding. A lot of people in America are fine with the status quo, and don’t want change. They are insulted by the audacity of someone on the outside trying to judge and question their country. Black people are not seen as Americans. White privileged America wants black America to stay in their place, and that place is beneath them. Collin Kaepernick has been risking his career by doing this. His career my even be over soon because of this. This makes him a hero. An American hero, just as Muhammad Ali was. CK is showing bravery in the face of oppression, even if you don’t think it’s his oppression. I sit with Collin Kaepernick, and you all should too.

“No refuge could save the hireling and slave

From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave,

And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Home of the brave indeed.