Colin Kaepernick, Civil Rights Activist?

Last Sunday as I walked across the pedestrian bridge that spans the Delaware between Lumberville, Pa. and Bull Island, N.J., the American flag billowed in the wind in all its glory. It was the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11, a somber day when we should all feel solidarity as Americans.

For some reason I thought about Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback who has refused to stand during the playing of the national anthem before a game. That he is making a statement about the disproportionate number of black Americans who are injured and killed by police by refusing to stand for the national anthem is noble in a naïve sort of way. But as many others have suggested, there are other ways he could express his outrage at police brutality.

What turns me off the most is when he chooses to do so in the presence of members of our military who lay their lives on the line for all of us. Many of them are missing arms and legs lost on the battlefield, and yet they must stand silently by while Colin disses a symbol of the nation they served so valiantly.

I can’t help wonder if Colin is a committed activist for social justice, or a backup quarterback seeking to regain relevance after being demoted from the starting role? If that sounds harsh, other than taking a knee during the national anthem, what is Colin doing to further the civil rights of black Americans?

Since I don’t personally know him, maybe he attends vigils and demonstrations when the civil rights of black people are violated. Maybe he spends time in inner city schools and with community leaders and law enforcement engaging in meaningful dialogue about social justice and what needs to be done to heal divided communities. If that’s the case, then I take back the question whether he’s a true champion of social justice.

Even so, what Colin doesn’t seem to understand is that he isn’t dissing the national anthem or the American flag. He’s dissing what it stands for. He’s dissing the sacrifice millions of Americans – black, white, Hispanic, Asian, native American – have made over the last 250 years. Their sacrifices made it possible for him to get a free education and make millions playing football.

If for no other reason, it behooves Colin and his NFL colleagues who lock arms before football games as a sign of solidarity for social justice to step up their game, if they haven’t already, and lock arms at vigils and demonstrations to protest the injustices being done to black Americans.  It behooves them to engage in any of the many programs and initiatives throughout the U.S. that are having a meaningful impact on the unjust treatment of black Americans by police.

If they can’t make that commitment, then they should just play football and leave the cause of social justice to those who are truly committed and who are on the front lines working to make a difference.