September 14, 2016
Page 7
O PINION
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Makes Me Wanna Holler and Throw Up My Hands
Kaepernick’s
saying what you
and I know
d r . v alerie W ardlaW
I am not going to equiv-
ocate my thoughts about
these United States of
America. Amerykah - as
the artist Erykah Badu has
called it is hands down the great-
est country in the world. Like
most citizens, I love America and
so does Colin Kaepernick, the
once beloved and now embattled
quarterback for the San Francisco
49ers.
In case you’ve been living un-
der a rock for the past few days,
Kaepernick refused to stand while
the National Anthem was being
played during a recent pre-season
game. His refusal was his expres-
sion of the frustration he felt as
a black man, a citizen living in
America, observing the lack of
racial equality for people of color.
Kaepernick made it perfectly clear
that his act was his decision and
it was personal. We got to witness
an act of protest protected by the
First Amendment of the U.S. Con-
stitution. You know, the document
that begins with We the People.”
And then it happened... we
the people (Twitter sphere, sports
fans, and a whole lot of folks) lost
their figurative minds and let him
know (as was their right) how they
by
felt. Some said he was a coward,
that it wasn’t the right time or
place. No matter, the form is never
convenient. It was astounding to
me that some said
he showed disre-
spect to the men and
women who served
in the military, and
more than a few of
our loving citizens
strongly suggested
that he find another country to live
in. It was as if this millionaire ath-
lete could not and should not have
a conscience and that he absolute-
ly could not exercise his right to
object to the playing of a song that
has a known racist history.
Some applauded his right to
protest and wondered if Ameri-
cans would really hear his heart.
They said it was madness but
magnificently so.
I immediately thought of the
late Muhammad Ali.
The greatest boxer of all times
was once called a traitor and draft
dodger for refusing to be inducted
into the Army. He was immedi-
ately stripped of his heavyweight
title and not allowed to box in the
U.S. for many years. Ali lost mil-
lions but it seemed that his soul
remained intact. He showed us
by his personal act that our worth
is not determined by green backs
and coins but by the tenets of our
hearts and those valuable truths
that we would willingly sacrifice
our lives for.
It was Ali who told the world
that he would not put on a military
uniform and journey thousands
of miles away to drop bombs and
bullets on brown people in Viet-
nam while black people were be-
ing treated like dogs right here in
the streets of America.
Ali unapologetically said that
the real enemy was not Vietnam
but the good ole USA. It was Ali
who said he would willingly go to
war if he thought it would bring
freedom and equality to black
people. For Ali, the real test was
whether he would stand up for his
beliefs while facing the possibili-
ty of jail. In the end, he reflected
that he really had nothing to lose if
he went to jail because we (black
people) had been in jail for 400
years.
Like Ali, Kaepernick did not
mince his words when explaining
his actions. Kaepernick said he
could not stand up and show pride
for a country or a flag that op-
presses black people and people of
color. He said the oppression that
he witnessed was bigger than foot-
ball. He spoke of the bodies lying
in the streets. He knew he might
pay a heavy price for his beliefs
with his NFL career and endorse-
ments on the line, but he stood up
for what is right. Sound familiar?
Kaepernick was once chas-
tised by a reporter for wearing
his cap backwards. “Turn your
cap around and act like a profes-
sional quarterback,” the reporter
wrote. I guess that reporter was
blissfully unaware that white NFL
quarterbacks also wore their caps
backwards. Or what about the re-
porter who loathed the tattoos on
his arms, comparing Kaepernick’s
look to that of a prisoner who just
got paroled? It didn’t seem to
matter to that reporter that under
Kaepernick’s leadership, the 49ers
earned a trip to Super Bowl XL-
VII. But I digress.
Kaepernick simply wanted to
know when would justice for cit-
izens of color be congruent with
the type of justice experienced
by white citizens. He did not dis-
parage the brave men and women
who serve or have served in the
military nor the police who brave-
ly seek to make the streets safe for
all citizens of this great nation.
He did question the system that
allows some to escape the con-
sequences of their misguided ac-
tions. After all, aren’t all citizen’s
innocent until proven guilty in a
court of law?
Kaepernick simply spoke of
his disappointment in a coun-
try that is better than what we at
times exhibit. He said what you
and I know – that we can and must
do better. It is a courageous act
to speak truth to power. It’s not
for the faint at heart and Colin
Kaepernick makes me wanna hol-
ler and throw up both my hands.
Dr. Valerie Wardlaw is a writer
and psychologist from Los Ange-
les.
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