Kaepernick's Protests

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When Colin Kaepernick began his protest of unfair treatment of people of color in the United States, by refusing to stand for the national anthem, I have no doubt that he believed he was honoring the civil rights leaders of the past by launching a peaceful protest in a meaningful way. His idea was noble, and commendable; however, I find his method deplorable, as peaceful as it may be. I recall when the protest started, he made a statement that he wouldn’t honor a flag that represents a nation that mistreats people of color, but in that generalization, he condemns the majority for the actions of the minority. The flag of our nation is many things to many people, for some it is a symbol of hope and love, others view it as a badge of honor for our nation – something to look at and display with pride. When I was a child, I was taught that the colors of the flag told the story of our nation. The white stripes represent the purity and innocence from which our country was born. The red stripes represented the valor that the revolutionaries fought with, and that all our military personnel have carried in their hearts since the birth of our …show more content…

He has tremendous power to influence the way people think and act, which has led to numerous cases of high school athletes following suit. I think it’s a shame that he would choose to use this power in such a way. He can be an advocate for change without being an affront to something that the people of this nation hold dear. His statement can be made clearly and impactfully, if he chose a better medium for his protest. What he’s doing won’t lead to change or awareness, it will only lead to headlines that will draw praise or criticism from the people who comment. While far less violent, his actions have a similar effect to some of the aggressive actions of the Black Lives Matter movement – a general sense of derision from many of those that he would attempt to

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