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| Colin Kaeprenick, joined by teammate Eric Reid (Marcio Jose Sanchez/ AP) |
I highly doubt Colin Kaepernick envisioned sparking any sort
of social movement when he was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2nd
round of the 2011 NFL draft. Indeed, he recently stated that he didn’t
have a desire to kneel indefinitely. And why would he? Certainly it’s
exhausting to be such a polarizing lightning rod, especially for someone who
has spent his life entertaining millions. But black entertainers (sports or
otherwise) have always had a unique relationship with the people they entertain
in this country. We could perform on TV and in night clubs long before we were
seen as equal in the eyes of the law, or given the same rights to elect public
officials.
It’s painful now to watch Amos and Andy or read about Jesse
Owens representing his country, with the knowledge that they were coming back
to the reality of their home’s inequality. To know that black people were good
enough to bring joy into the lives of millions, but in those same homes weren’t
viewed as an equal. Being a black
entertainer has meant being a jester for so long that a protest by Kaepernick
(or his compatriots) is met with anger and bewilderment. So when Dabo Swinney proclaims that those
that are protesting should, “move to another country” it is (in part) because
those voicing dissent aren’t viewed seriously.
Jesters don’t dictate policy.
Swinney, or Jim Harbaugh (who had his
own comments regarding the viability of Kaepernick’s protest) were
outspoken in their opposition to Kaepernick’s actions, but silent to the police
brutality and its effects on the African American community. These two men have made a career out of young
African Americans performing for their benefit.
Every year they go into homes of young black men and claim that they can
offer the best experience for them. But
with the disregard for black life for the sake of decorum, how could they be?
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| The moment has turned into a movement (Bill Streicher USA Today Sports) |
Ultimately, this protest is about refusal from a
marginalized group to only be a trinket of society; something pretty to
entertain without any profound substance to add. Through that prism, the
death threats that Kaepernick has received as a result of kneeling begin to
make more sense. With the understanding
that some believe blacks are only good for entertaining, it is only natural
that the protestor and the protest are under more scrutiny than the continued
deaths of black people at the hands of state actors. Banishment is of course on
the table for the problematic ornament—if we aren’t entertaining, what else can
we possibly contribute?
The growing movement started by Kaepernick underscores the
sentiment that blacks will not silently entertain the masses while real issues
and problems that directly affect them go unresolved. Kaepernick’s methodology
of protest has been questioned by everyone from Tony
La Russa to Trent
Dilfer, and while there is plenty of room between the two on the level of
vitriol Kaepernick should receive, the overall message is the same “not here,
not now”.
If the refrain sounds familiar, it’s because it should. To quote Swinney’s favorite freedom fighter,
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “For years now I have heard the word
"Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity.
This "Wait" has almost always meant "Never." We must come
to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that ‘justice too long delayed
is justice denied.’” For some there will never be a proper time to fight this
injustice. But time is a luxury that couldn’t be afforded to Tyre King, Terence
Crutcher, or Keith Lamont Scott.
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| Professional or amateur, this message resonates in the black community. As HU cheerleaders demonstrated |
Real change is needed to combat the way in which the black
community is policed. Brutality can take many forms, as
is evident by the Dept. of Justice’s report on the Baltimore Police Department.
Combine that report of a major American city, and the repetitive nature of the
violence, and it’s obvious that there is a systematic issue that should be
addressed by important changes; among them, the need for special prosecutors to
prosecute police-involved shootings cases instead of district attorneys that
have and must maintain a relationship with the police department.
No one wants to see more civilians unnecessarily killed by
police officers, but until they are held accountable for their poor decisions
that lead to fatalities, the value of black lives will remain less than. But
they are still public servants that serve the community. So when a
police union threatens to stop working games affecting the safety of those
at the San Francisco stadium, it should outrage everyone.
Kaepernick’s protest has already done more than I could have
imagined. It’s started an actual
conversation because it involves one of the nation’s prized commodities—football.
And because so many different people from so many different walks of life enjoy
football on Sundays, it may actually lead to changed minds and changed
policies. In its simplicity, Kaepernick struck at the core of America. To take
a knee in football is to, quite literally, let a down pass with no resistance
for the betterment of the team. In kneeling before a flag of unfulfilled
promise, Kaepernick’s resistance is anything but passive; and may put this
country in a much better position once the whistle blows to start the next
play.
