In the face of inequality and race, one man has expressed his rights more than others and that man was Colin Kaepernick. Kaleem (2016) says while Kaepernick set the national debate about race on a course with many of the other worlds problems, his stance on the national anthem has sparked controversial conflict among people of color and people of a different race. Next, almost no one seems to be aware that even if the U.S were a perfect country today, it would be bizarre to expect African-American players to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Why? Because it literally celebrates the murder of African-Americans. Furthermore, people keep asking the question about what freedom is and how it can be defined, and with Kaepernick, he kneeled for something that is being looked at as patriotic but some may argue that it’s a disgrace. Kaleem …show more content…
According to Kaleem (2016),” Africans Americans athletes have grappled with complicated feelings about patriotism and if the country has embraced colored people”. And the controversial point with Kaepernick’s stance Kaleem (2016) says is that “challenging patriotism is controversial”, But however, anybody with unalienable rights is able to challenge that notion and stand up for what he or she believes in. According to Kaleem (2016), in the article it talks about Black Lives Matter and these are examples of African American’s from the past have not been treated with the same rights and people who stand for the national anthem have not tried to protest at all. Kaepernick’s protest has been able to counter exist because of his stance against police and getting black people and colored people to stand with him on this subject. It is often said that America is OK as it is right now, Kaleen (2016) but it can also be said that Kaepernick’s stance is not just about who’s equal, but also is about why people are still dying and why must be just colored
“The land of the free and home of the brave,” the infamous line from America’s national anthem, Star-Spangled Banner, but how much did this ring truth for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Era? On October 16, 1968, gold medalist Tommie Smith and bronze medalist John Carlos challenged “the false vision of what it meant to be black in America.” (Pg. 108, John Carlos story) Although John Carlos and Tommie Smith ridiculed and ostracized because of their defiant act, which respectfully recognized as an iconic, powerful image labeled as the “black power salute” in the summer Olympics of 1968 in Mexico City. Carlos and Smith used the Olympics’ medal ceremony stage to challenge and bring recognition to the racism within sports and the United States in a silent gesture. This significant moment of their act of bravery, courage and willingness to sacrifice their sport careers and life to call attention to the segregation, racism and white supremacy back home for those who did not have a platform. “Smith and Carlos opened a unique symbolic space for dialogue and debate about these issues.” (Pg. 26, Douglas Hartmann) Without saying a single word, they captured the nation’s attention.
Following recent cases of police brutality and racial oppression, many public figures are taking it upon themselves to stand against the issues. In this matter, Colin Kaepernick has been in the spotlight since his protest during a preseason game in August, where he took a knee during the National Anthem. In the articles “The Colin Kaepernick Effect; Another Athlete Stands Up For Social Issues” by LA Watts Times Sports Writer, Amanda Scurlock and “Colin Kaepernick’s Critics Called Him an Idiot. Who’s the Idiot Now?” by Slate Executive Director, Josh Levin, the authors talk about how Colin Kaepernick’s peaceful protest has had many positive and negative backlash. Kaepernick has received much support from not only his fans, but also people such
The 1968 Olympics in Mexico City was the most popular medal ceremony of all time, as Tommie Smith and John Carlos delivered the black power salute while on the medal stand, (Witherspoon, 2003). In Mexico City, Smith finished first in the 200 metres race, achieving a new world record, Carlos on the other hand finished third. Both athletes decided to each wear one black glove and black socks during their victory stand, whilst the American national anthem played, they also bowed their heads and raised black-gloved fists (Ashe, 2007). Peter Norman of Australia came second and also took part in the protest by wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge as a way of protesting against racial discrimination in all countries. This iconic image not only represents one of the most memorable moments of Olympic history, but a milestone in America's civil rights movement, (Gettings, 2012). This essay will look at the overall impact that the iconic image had on the civil rights movement and the idea behind it.
People do not acknowledge the struggles that African Americans had to endure for them to be treated equally, the way a true American is supposed to be treated. One of the ways they were not treated equally was by not being able to participate in sports with whites. From the beginning of our nation, colored people were highly disrespected and treated as if they were some type of animals, which have no say in what happens to them. They were not given any opportunities and were treated harshly because their skin color was different. Whites were able to practically do anything they wanted, unlike blacks, who were racially discriminated or beaten for no apparent reason. African Americans were among the worst treated races in the US; however, this did not stop them from fighting for the rights that so many had died for. It seemed as if black people would never be treated respectfully, but just like in comic books, there is always a hero that will fight for his people. This hero soon came to the scene and he was fierce enough to change the lives of many people. Most importantly, he broke the color barrier and created a path that would allow others to follow. However, something that was inevitable was the threats and racial remarks they had to face.
Anthem begins with Equality 7-2521 stating “And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws. The laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so” (Hesse 24). lf the setting in Anthem was set in 2017 America, where the government allows for individual pronouns and ownership, then readers would not even question if
Few things have impacted the United States throughout its history like the fight for racial equality. It has caused divisions between the American people, and many name it as the root of the Civil War. This issue also sparked the Civil Rights Movement, leading to advancements towards true equality among all Americans. When speaking of racial inequality and America’s struggle against it, people forget some of the key turning points in it’s history. Some of the more obvious ones are the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in the North, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s march on Washington D.C. in 1963. However, people fail to recount a prominent legal matter that paved the way for further strides towards equality.
The reason why it is meaningful to me because as a young black male who witness/was part of the injustice to African American people in my lifetime I understand the struggles of living in America. It is a difficult as well as an unfortunate part of life where people judge you by the color of your skin, where certain groups of people of different color are put into a racial stereotyping profile instead of just trying to get know the individual, not believing the negative stereotypes about that affected group and seeing them as just a unique human being as they are. When I started to grow up I notice patterns of mostly white police officers hunting down black men and people of color and killing them in cold blood as if to say that their lives
The Pledge of Allegiance, created over a century ago, contains one of the most problematic statements in society: “liberty and justice for all”. Despite the remote attempts of the government to alleviate the obstacles that Richard Wright, an advocate of civil rights, endured in 1937, Michelle Alexander, another advocate of civil rights, in 2012 unveils that up to this day the obstacles are nearly the same. In essence, disregarding the 125 years of difference the situation has not changed radically, thus allowing the challenges of inequality to remain under the table. In particular ways, the United States is moderately becoming more racially just and ethical, with actions taken by the government such as affirmative action and the abolition of
Freedom of speech is a right that is granted to every individual, otherwise, it will be illegal. Vinson faults people of different ethnicity for taking the freedom of speech away. It is fine for anyone to express their opinion in an appropriate manner. A protest called “Black Lives Matter” grabs the attention of the public. The goal of the protest is to raise awareness that racism is hurting many people based on the incidents that happened. “Black Lives Matter” gathered many participants in an effort to fight for justice. Even “leaders from the Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Indigenous African and Unitarian Universalist faiths gathered to give witness to our unwavering support for the Black Lives Matter Movement” (Kolodny). The movement gathered a diverse group of people that portrays the spirit of unity in
Michael Cooper’s work in his NYT article “Tenor Will Sing Anthem at N.F.L. Game but Supports Athletes’ Kneeling Protest” explains the moral dilemma Lawrence Brownlee experienced when asked to sing the national anthem at a NY Jets and Baltimore Ravens football game. Brownlee is a tenor in the Metropolitan Opera, felt torn when asked to sing the anthem at the football game (Cooper). He understands the power the flag and anthem has on people like his father who was in military, as well as others who fought and love this country (Cooper). Brownlee expresses his gratitude for the opportunities he has being a man of color, comparing to the ones of his ancestors had during the time the anthem was written (Cooper). But since he is part of the minority,
The question then becomes at what price such sacrifices were made. Human rights should be exercised whenever injustice is witnessed, not only as protest when it is to one’s benefit. Acting to unite the people of the United States of America as one regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual preference despite belief over whether individual issues are important enough to defend.
This sentence, written in the Declaration of Independence, contains some of the most powerful words ever written. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” (US 1776). They invoke feelings of pride and integrity in the hearts and minds of most Americans. However, these magnificent, well-intentioned words that were written in 1776 are over-shadowed by feelings of shame, sorrow and betrayal for how men, women and children were rejected as human beings worthy of equality simply because of the color of their skin. While things have improved for African Americans in the past two hundred years, we still have not gotten it exactly right. The treatment of African Americans is still a source of frustration for those who truly want to believe in the power of the words “all men are created equal”.
Martin Luther King Jr. believed that if you were being treated unjustly, you had the right and responsibility to stand up for yourself and to the oppressors. He says, “Now there is nothing wrong with an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade, but when the ordinance is used to preserve segregation and to deny citizens the First Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and peaceful protest, then it becomes unjust” (71). King acknowledges that the law itself for parading without a permit is a just law, but that it was unfairly applied to only African American people, to further segregate them from society. It may have been unjust to break the law, but if breaking this law would end the injustice they were facing like being pushed, cursed, slapped and kicked in jail, then they broke it for an honorable
In our government society, we show respect to our countries in many ways. In today’s life, most respect is shown for example, at a NFL football game when they play the national anthem, or when the Star Spangled Banner is being recited at the president inauguration ceremony. Recently, professional NFL football player Colin Kaepernick, was questioned about why he didn't stand for the National anthem. His response for his action was “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” while showing his viewpoint for his benefactor to all the malevolent towards the blacks . According to Jeré Longman from At Uconn, Teaming Pledge Anthem, to Mixed Reviews, it states “Those who support
Massive protests against racial segregation and discrimination broke out in the southern United States that came to national attention during the middle of the 1950’s. This movement started in centuries-long attempts by African slaves to resist slavery. After the Civil War American slaves were given basic civil rights. However, even though these rights were guaranteed under the Fourteenth Amendment they were not federally enforced. The struggle these African-Americans faced to have their rights ...