Colin Kaepernick and the hypocrisy of patriotism

When I first heard about Colin Kaepernick’s move to protest the national anthem, I didn’t think much of it. Strange, perhaps, but nothing particularly outrageous.

As an HBCU grad, I became accustomed to simply standing (with a skeptical look but hands at my side) for the traditional national anthem and then raising my right fist for the black national anthem (Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.) The double consciousness (as penned by W.E.B Dubois) permeates Black American life and so I slowly realized that 2 national anthems for the US at sporting events wasn’t the norm.

When I saw the responses coming from every corner of the internet bashing the 49’s player’s decision to express himself, I felt confused. He started to lose support, NFL viewers tuned out, and sponsors pulled out.

Fellow players, though, joined in his protest. Players from across the NFL maintained the tradition of protesting injustice in the realm of sports. The NBA and WNBA have fined players for wearing “I Can’t Breathe” shirts and Knox College suspended (and then reinstated) player Ariyana Smith for silently protesting during the national anthem, sparking the recent wave of athletes protesting injustice.

RGB put in her 2 cents on Kaepernick’s actions, using words like “dumb” “disrespectful” and “arrogant” in her response to the player’s protest. While she noted that he is within his legal right to protest and she wouldn’t arrest anyone for protesting, her words strike an unsettling nerve.

As a woman of color, it’s difficult to appease my initial urge to jump to the supreme court justice’s defense. Ruth Bader Ginsburg has championed the rights of women in the U.S and inspired plenty of women to advocate for themselves. Her comments seem thoughtless and they lack empathy; isn’t she, too, someone who has faced oppression? 

It’s frustrating to hear someone belittle the valid expression of another. I’m curious as to why “patriotism” in America is restricted to things noted as historically symbolic. Why can’t we show patriotism by both standing OR kneeling for the anthem? Throwing tea overboard (dressed as indigenous peoples who had been massacred) to dispute taxes is a show of patriotism but silently kneeling in protest of black bodies in the street is a sign of disrespect? 

As a teenager growing up in the city that’s home to Focus on the Family and the Air Force Academy, I chose to sit every day in class when my peers and teachers recited the pledge of allegiance. I grew up in a post 9/11 world, where an irrational fear of “other” permeated sacred spaces, saying those hypnotically tuned words as a 2nd grader but never really understanding what they meant. When I made the “monumental” decision to sit instead of stand, watching my peers, I abated the criticism of a few of my (white) peers, but I wasn’t alienated from my community. Life went on and I grew up with a certain cautious reverence for the country in which I currently reside.

While I don’t openly protest injustice on a daily basis, I acknowledge its existence like the persistent throb of a migraine. Progress against oppression doesn’t come without criticism (from both within and outside of the movement), but I worry that divisive comments can detract from the larger goal.

So, on the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party, when a former leader mentioned that Kaepernick is “not the first, and he knows he’s not the first,” I think about the actions of less publicized Americans: a singer of the anthem (a white breast cancer survivor) who took a knee during her performance. “I love and honor my country as deeply as anyone yet it is my responsibility as an American to speak up against injustice as it affects my fellow Americans,” she said. Tysse continued:

“I cannot idly stand by as black people are unlawfully profiled, harassed and killed by our law enforcement over and over and without a drop of accountability. …

“Whether or not you can see if from your vantage point, there is a deep system of institutionalized racism in America, from everyday discrimination to disproportionate incarceration of people of color to people losing their lives at the hands of the police simply for being black. This is not who we claim to be as a nation. It is wrong and I won’t stand for it. #Solidarity.”

While Tysse certainly faced criticism for the protest, she hasn’t received nearly as much negative attention for her gesture as black athletes. The NBA respected her right to express her views.

I want the same respect for people of color to express their anger.