By Edward Henderson
My earliest memories of standing and reciting the pledge of allegiance go all the way back to elementary school. We would place our hands over our hearts and recite the words we’d been taught by our teacher. Many times we would joke among ourselves, as children often do. We were more concerned with discovering what lunch snacks our parents packed for us and who would be playing the black power ranger during recess. The first time I made an active protest in school over an anthem was in middle school during band class. Our instructor handed out the sheet music for “I Wish I Was in Dixie,” the theme song for Confederate soldiers in the south. I refused to play it. By that age, I was well aware of the significance of the song and what the people who celebrated it stood for. I wasn’t having it. I was reprimanded for my action, but I thought it was well worth it. When I first heard the news of 49ners quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest of sitting during the national anthem for preseason games because of the violence toward African American communities from police, I understood and supported the sentiment wholeheartedly. Of course, however, the social media patriots took this as an opportunity to switch the rhetoric surrounding the meaning behind the protest.
Much of the vitriol directed towards Kaepernick stemmed from feelings that his protest disrespects military servicemen and women. Many see the pledge of allegiance as an opportunity to acknowledge the sacrifices made to grant us the freedoms we experience today. Unfortunately, these same individuals disregard the fact that Kaepernick’s protest is a direct reflection of the freedom of expression these same soldiers fight for. His protest was not directed towards the military. It was towards police officers who act with impunity when it comes to taking African American lives. He even expressed his respect for the military during his comments to the press while explaining the reasons behind his protest along with the fact he has family members in the military.
You can become law enforcement in 6 months and don’t even have to have as much training time as a cosmetologist, someone that is holding a curling iron has more education and more training then someone holding a gun. ~Colin Kaepernick
Later in his comments to the press, Kaepernick informed reporters he would continue to sit during the anthem until he saw significant changes made regarding police brutality, as this would be a better reflection of the morals and principles the flag is supposed to stand for. He is calling for change in the training requirements for police so they will be better equipped to handle escalating situations in a non-violent manner. In a conversation with my slam poetry coach and teammate Rudy Francisco a few weeks back, he brought up an interesting point that protests should not be convenient for the people who observe them and that scheduled protests that follow guidelines and city procedures defeat the purpose. Kaepernick’s protest made people uncomfortable, and that’s a good thing. As media outlets, we have the responsibility to keep the discussion surrounding the root of the issue that is being protested instead of the manner it’s being done. We cannot allow the conversation to center around the military. This is about police violence and the government that gives them power. The next time I have the opportunity, I too will be sitting during any playing of the national anthem. My ‘inner middle school saxophone player’ staring at the sheet music for “I Wish I Was in Dixie” wouldn’t have it any other way.
