Colin Kaepernick, Thank You!

In the words of Kid Fury, I am T-I-Red.I am so sick and tired of these hypocritical want to be righteous folk. You all are upset that Colin Kaepernick decided to not stand for the national anthem? Threatening this man because he decided in a “free” country to not stand up during an anthem that condones slavery. Yet you all were not outraged when Dylann Roof walked into a church, A CHURCH, to purposely kill nine innocent lives in Charleston, South Carolina. You all were not outraged when Charles Kinsey laid in the street with his hands up trying to protect himself and his client from being shot by the police, in which he was still shot. I can go on when you all were silent, when an outcry was absent, but for now, I need clarification. I need someone to help me understand how you all are silent when injustice is clear but in an uproar when someone decides to simply sit down to make a statement? No one was hurt during this protest. So what is the issue? Someone help me process how this makes sense. 

Colin Kaepernick used his platform to make a statement for those who have been silenced.

I can hear someone ignorant trying to say how these events are not related or how this situation is different, but it’s not. It is very much related and a continuing issue when Black lives are treated like they don’t matter; it is very much related when Black Lives are taken from their families and the people that commit these crimes are treated like heroes. Colin Kaepernick is making a statement that many Black Lives Matter protesters have been saying for years. Colin Kaepernick used his platform to make a statement for those who have been silenced. Colin Kaepernick was utilizing his first amendment right, which he is entitled to since he is American. However, he can’t utilize that right when he is making a statement towards the racism and injustice this country continues to act like doesn’t exist. Well people, racism still exist and has continued to exist. It did not go away and come back, it never went away. Why? Because people like you continue to ignore reality. Because people like you tell oppressed people to sweep these issues under the rug and not address them. Ignoring and not addressing these issues does not help, it makes it worse.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE, don’t add to the problem!

What’s sad is that I am not saying anything new. Black people have been making this same argument for so long and it’s not getting through. I’m tired! I’m tired of repeating myself. I’m tired of people refusing to listen or refusing to understand where we are coming from. We’re expected to respect and cherish an anthem that was written by a pro-slavery, anti-abolitionist man (which is another lesson in itself.) We’re expected not to be affected by the police brutality that black people face everyday. Whereas being open minded is too much to ask and being respected or treated as an equal is unheard of. What is so hard about being open minded? Why let history keep repeat itself? Instead of criticizing someone for making a statement, try to understand where they are coming from. Don’t understand? Simply ask someone to explain it. We want to be heard! We want to help people like you to understand. We don’t enjoy explaining the same issue over and over and over again. It is exhausting! 

I keep telling myself that I am done addressing this issue but I feel guilty when I see genuine people wanting to understand. I feel guilty that one less person is there to educated the ignorant people that refuse to see what message AMERICA conveys about Black people and Black lives. So you won’t shut me up that easy, no matter how irritating or tiring this may be. So at the end of this, don’t get offended, ask questions, ask for understanding, make a statement, MAKE A DIFFERENCE, don’t add to the problem!