I never knelt during the national anthem during my storied football career that spanned from 2001 all the way to the year 2002. Truthfully, even if I had a reason to protest, the idea of causing a possible distraction that may have increased my time spent on the field (ahem sidelines) even longer terrifies me just thinking about it 15 years later. Yet, I'd like to think that if my fellow 11-year-old teammates had a compelling reason to do so that I'd consider joining them sons of bitches in some form.
That’s because the national anthem and the American flag represent ideals far greater than ourselves. Since our country's founding we have indeed gotten closer to those ideals. We outlawed slavery, gave women the right to vote, established marriage equality, and of course ended the practice of sending children in the mail. But to pretend that because we’ve made such strides that we are now free from the sins of our past is more tone-deaf than a speech about cyber-bullying by Melania Trump.
The 1943 Supreme Court case West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette highlighted in a recent Washington Post article offers some perspective on today’s debate. Justice Robert Jackson wrote for a 6-to-3 majority that the state could not compel children to salute the flag: “To believe that patriotism will not flourish if patriotic ceremonies are voluntary and spontaneous, instead of a compulsory routine,” Jackson wrote, “is to make an unflattering estimate of the appeal of our institutions to free minds.”
Though the heart of the intention to kneel during the national anthem is not about doing away with patriotism. It’s about embracing patriotism.
Some may argue that the imperfections in our country are not good enough reasons to protest during the national anthem because of the the immense and often unfathomable sacrifices the men and women of the armed forces have made throughout our nation’s history. And to be clear, just because these soldiers have fought for our freedom and for the preservation of our rights does not make every protest noble or patriotic. African American NFL players, however, using a national stage to shine a light on the problems with our criminal justice system is far from disrespect.
These protests are about making people aware that even though we all live under the same flag, the American experience is different for everyone. They’re about being empathetic toward one another and recognizing that much needs to be done to achieve all the ideals embodied in the American flag. And while the protests may not cure racism, it might spark a discussion that gets us closer to the goal line of equality.
One last thing - for those who will still view the protests occurring in the NFL as the antithesis of patriotism, then at the very least, respect the right to free speech and peaceful assembly. Because it wasn’t that long ago, that some of the same people outraged by kneeling NFL players, utilized the American flag themselves as a powerful symbol of protest. A Republican lawmaker interviewed in a 2012 New York Times article entitled Upside Down Flags Mark Conservative Anger over Obama says it best: “It's not meant to deface the flag in anyway." Instead, he says: the upside down flag might "spark a discussion" about the "sense of frustration" among many Americans.
And guess what? It certainly, certainly did.
