Being the whitest of all white girls, I have no right to talk about black oppression- but let me tell you, it’s there, and it’s  recently been brought back to the public’s attention. Our nation has been in uproar as our patriotic routine for the national anthem has been “dishonored” by one NFL quarterback’s decision to sit instead of stand.  *gasp* Oh the horror- someone is actually using one of their rights, because apparently in today’s American society it is unheard of.

I applaud you Colin Kaepernick for standing up, well in this case sitting, in front of millions of the most patriotic Americans, for a cause that most people have just brushed aside. Have we all just forgotten that Black Lives DO matter? Kaepernick believes so, because if not, he would not have caused this national controversy.

Turn on any news station or look at any social media outlet over the past couple months, and racism is there. Headlines scattered with accounts of police brutality and riots in the streets, all because people have forgotten that black lives matter.

The over-the-top beatings by Los Angeles Police Officers to Rodney King in 1991 erupted the beginning of a movement about racial injustice. More recently, there have been an increase of events focused on police brutality and even violence within one’s own racial group. It’s astonishing to think that a nation that is the symbol of unity has become so divided.

Kaepernick’s “subtle” approach has made many Americans more furious than actually watching the black oppression that is plaguing our screens. It is a bit disappointing when it takes a football player to finally get everyone to lift their heads, and recognize the reality of the situation, but hey at least the public is finally taking notice.

However, people might agree with his topic of protest but view with disgust the way he is going about doing it; viewing it as a publicity stunt since his football career has gone to shambles right before everybody’s eyes. People are flipping the perspective, to overshadow the true issue he is trying to present.

Kaepernick has stayed true to his protested words by donating his first $1 million dollars to communities that have been directly affected by racial injustice. Donating that much money for a so called, “publicity stunt,” shows the true ignorance people have in respect to this cause.

Although, there have been countless people who have used their fame as a protest mechanism to certain issues, it has been hard to ignore the increase of racial oppression and the prominent expansion of it through the media, and need for someone to speak out for change.