Standing up to racial injustice
Over the past weekend, Donald Trump tweeted that the “sons of bitches” who kneel during the national anthem in the National Football League (NFL) should be suspended or fired.
In response, a movement that began over a year ago with Colin Kaepernick grew, as many athletes and teams in the NFL took a stand for racial injustice by taking a knee or linking arms during the national anthem.
While the reaction of most fans was largely positive, there were many who booed their own teams and posted offensive and misguided comments online.
In sport, when athletes take the knee it is usually when an injury occurs on the field. Taking a knee is a sign of respect for what another athlete is going through and a way of showing support and solidarity for the situation with the hope that it will improve soon.
This sign of respect for others is exactly what is happening when these athletes are taking the knee during the national anthem.
It is recognizing that something is wrong with the country and hoping it can be fixed. It is recognizing that police brutality and racial injustice in the United States is a serious problem.
In this case, taking a knee is taking a stand.
Some people have asked these athletes: “You make millions of dollars, why can’t you just stand and respect the flag?”
It is because they make millions of dollars that they are able to have impact. The players kneeling and linking arms in the anthem are using their platform as an agency for change.
It is an act of unity in the face of ongoing racial injustice.
The only way the situation in the United States, and in Canada too, will improve is if movements like this continue to grow and stimulate conversation. It is important to recognize that this is an issue that cannot, and should not, be ignored.
It must go beyond these athletes.
Taking a knee has started a widespread conversation, positive or negative, and it is up to us to continue that conversation with our own teams, friends, and families.
It is also important to remember that this is not about Trump.
This movement is about the ongoing police brutality and oppression of people of colour in America.
Improvement will only come if we can take the time to listen to one another and really hear why these athletes have taken a knee in the first place.
Open and honest conversation is the pathway to creating change, and #TakeAKnee is the conversation starter that the United States, and even the world, needs to hear.
Photo Courtesy of Pexels Bat