People wonder why Colin Kapernick knelt. It was never to disrespect the flag. It was never to disrespect the military. It was because of tragedies like George Floyd. Like Ahmaud Arbery. Like the thousands of other black men who are shot only because they’re black. Colin Kapernick knelt in 2016 for events that would occur in 2020. He knelt on a football field because some people, like a Minneapolis Police Officer, feel that it is okay to kneel on somebody’s neck, causing their death.
There are so many trustworthy and honorable Police Officers, and I appreciate them immensely. I’m not trying to dishonor Police Officers. But police brutality and racial profiling are real. Some racist police officers exist, and better regulations can prevent more unfair deaths. The Minneapolis Police Officer who killed George Floyd already had 18 documented prior complaints about him. But, all I strive to do is make you more aware.
If you haven’t seen the video of George Floyd being knelt on by a Minneapolis Police Officer until he suffocates and dies, it is very disturbing. He did not deserve this at all and I don’t know how some people can simply pretend like this is normal. We’re not in the Reconstruction Era, or the Civil Rights Era. We’re in 2020 and as young adults, we have the power to change the future. I hope that America makes radical improvement regarding racial justice before I grow old. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. said “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed — we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal” and 60 years later, America has still not achieved this. America is better than this. Change starts by altering your mindset to view the problem of racism as the most urgent problem in modern history. Even if you don’t have a career in government someday and can’t make direct progress, believing in equality is good enough. Because I’m confident that the future leaders within our generation will fight hard to truly display the idea that all men are created equal. Change is justice, and so many people are in need of justice right now.
I know that this article isn’t going to change anything. But if I have increased awareness of this issue in one person, then I know I’ve achieved something. I’m not asking you to attend a Civil Rights march or write a passionate bill. I’m begging you to think about inequality a little extra today and everyday moving forward. Contemplate what steps people in power should be doing to lessen the number of black deaths from police brutality. Consider how you can raise your own children, teaching them complete fairness, and showing them that there is no difference between black and white people. This matters, so act like it does.