Blinding Patriotism (or why I won’t stand up)

There’s seems to be something about professional football that gets people all riled up (something in the turf, maybe?) If you haven’t read about my first encounter with ignorance at an NFL game, read this first.  Or if you haven’t read my piece on the silent protests taking place at professional sports games, read this one, too.

Yet again, my significant other and I ran into some trouble when visiting Baltimore to watch the Steelers play their rival team. After a festive bout of tailgating, we arrived at our seats with a couple minutes till kickoff. The stadium was packed (with mostly Ravens fans) but we got settled pretty quickly by the time the national anthem started to play. In hypnotic fashion, (nearly) everyone in the stadium stood to hear the rendition belted out as we remained silently seated. To our right, a rather disgruntled woman leered in our direction. “Oh my god, are you kidding me?” was audible enough for us to hear, coupled with her look of absolute disgust at our silent act of protest.

Because I was fairly certain she wasn’t just mad about us supporting the opposing team, my partner and I talked to each other about her assumptions and reaction. She initiated a conversation with my partner: “My family is full of veterans who fought to protect this country.” Little did she know (at least at first) that we both are closely related to veterans who fought in combat for the U.S only to return to face either racial discrimination or neglect from the VA. But alas, she wasn’t here to listen. She was here to feel important.

As my partner continued to advocate on our behalf for our RIGHTS AS AMERICAN CITIZENS to express ourselves freely, our disgruntled patriot friend, with her husband’s hand blocking her face so he could watch the game, started to shout profanity at us. Visibly upset by our encounter, the woman left with her husband (whom I feel some sympathy for; he missed nearly the entire game). We didn’t see the woman for the rest of the game. It was too painful for her to sit next to disrespectful, unappreciative, “assholes” who clearly have no reverence for democracy.

But that’s the thing, isn’t it? People who serve in the military understand that their brave and selfless actions serve a larger purpose of freedom. You don’t become a soldier because you want people to think the same way you do; you serve in spite of those differences. You serve in the name of freedom and a democratic society where citizens have the right to express themselves, well freely.

So, angry Ravens fan, I appreciate the people who serve in the military and I value their efforts to protect my rights as a citizen. Thus, as a way to show that appreciation for what they do, I will continue to express my opinion in a way that may make you uncomfortable. My sitting for this anthem (created during a time when I would have been considered less than human) is not an attack on veterans or soldiers. It’s an attack on the institutionalized racism ingrained in our “free” society that shoots down black bodies and fuels the school to prison pipeline. The racism you might not notice as a white American thanks to your disillusioned perspective courtesy of Fox News.

I’m sorry, not sorry, that your world view can’t allow you to see the injustices marginalized people face on a daily basis (especially in a city like Baltimore.) But your insults and anger won’t deter me from continuing to exercise my rights.

 

 

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.