Social Injustices Revealed In Colin Kaepernick's Protests

When San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, took a knee during the Star Spangled Banner, he was automatically booed. After the game, his action went viral and a plethora of fans referred him as un-American. Kaepernick has a unique way of expressing how social, economic, and political problems affect him; moreover, he should not be told that his preferred way of protesting was inappropriate. Colin Kaepernick should not be required to stand during the National Anthem, after all, we do have rights for a reason. Social injustices of the United States are destroying the growth of the Nation. While people of color make up about 30 percent of the United States population, they account for 60 percent of those in prison. The African-American community is in distress due to the rate at which African-American men are being incarcerated more than white men; furthermore, this unfortunate epidemic has also taken a toll on African-American youth as well because of the absence of a father in the household creating the trend of single parent household. The incarceration rate disproportionately impacts men of color: 1 in every 15 African American men and
every 1 in every 36 Hispanic men are incarcerated in comparison to 1 in every 106 white men. Kaepernick's protest is directly correlated with the injustices that have transpired in the American justice system. Furthermore, with the year being far from over, police have already killed at least 800 people; the majority of the individuals who were killed were unarmed, mentally ill, and people of color. Murder is a crime. The rate at which police are being convicted of these crimes is slim to none, the brutal acts some police officers have partaken in have worsened the gap between the police departments and citizen who reside in urban areas. Kaepernick’s protest has many underlying messages and police brutality is one of them. The most important underlying message in Kaepernick’s protest is the racist culture that is embedded in the United States.
When people think of racism, they usually think of obvious examples, like the KKK or the Nazi. Racism can be far more subtle and insidious, and many people of color face this type of racism daily. The thought of America, having fully transitioned into a post-racial society is inaccurate. The messages might not be as bold now as they were in the sixties, but they have taken a more subconscious approach. This type of racism is detrimental to the growth of the African-American and Hispanic communities; Subconscious racism remains in the back of people’s minds. Kaepernick is fully aware of the problems that have wrongfully been placed in the Nation and is trying his best to expose
them. Kaepernick shouldn’t be required to stand during the National Anthem because social injustices that are embedded in the United States have made it virtually impossible for the United States to grow. No one knows for sure if we'll ever live in a post-racial society, but we can model our self after Kaepernick and use our first amendment rights to express our views socially, economically, and politically.