In 2016, 1,091 African American lives were taken by the hands of police officers that assumed the worst and shot them to death. People organized nationwide to protest this issue and lower these shameful statistics.

One football player started a revolution in an attempt to change the brutality that happens every day.

Colin Kaepernick, a former professional football player, used his celebrity to convey his stance against police brutality towards innocent African American people.

Prior to kickoff of a pre-season game in 2016, Kaepernick decided to peacefully protest against this treatment by sitting during the National Anthem.

When being a professional athlete, it is an unspoken rule that you must show respect during the presentation of the Anthem.

Over the course of that season, support – and backlash – came swiftly for the protests. It seemed that his message was overshadowed with what many deem disrespect for the flag.

Although the law protects Kaepernick’s form of protest, the timeliness of when he chose to protest was not ideal. He and his peers protested for justice and peace; however, protesting in such a controversial way seemed to have the opposite effect and created more chaos and division.

Simply put, there are two main groups: those who agree with Kaepernick’s form of protest, and those who disagree with what he did.

What Kaepernick did was not legally wrong; however, this protest could have been done differently and more efficiently to prevent some of the anger today.

Most people can agree that sports have always been a glue that unifies people of all different backgrounds and beliefs.

However, Kaepernick’s choice to kneel during the Anthem segregated the entire country and distracted those in the league and fans of the game from what they were initially focusing on: football.

Since that time, athletes all over the world – including high school athletes – have used their platform to protest during the Anthem, sparking mostly vitriol from the stands and social media.

Society needs to center its focus on making our nation more civil, and part of that is finding a way to protest without offending half of the population. Kneeling, sitting or any other type of protest during a pre-game ceremony that is supposed to unify and ground all Americans is neither the right time nor place to voice a social opinion.

In the end, the way he went about it and could have been avoided if he protested in a different way, like making every press conference about social justice, publicly speaking and organizing protests, or volunteering in community- and police-outreach programs across the nation. In ‘16 he was one of America’s most recognizable athletes, so he should use his celebrity to unify the nation instead of dividing it.

Imagine standing in your driveway, being forcefully interrogated by police. You reach for your cell phone, unclear of the situation and desperately attempting to reach out to someone for help. The police feel threatened and unaware of what you are reaching for, so they shoot – five times to be exact.

Days later they drop all charges against you, all because of a fatal assumption – you look like a bad guy, so you must be a bad guy.Your life was over before you even got the chance to defend it.

Seems unfair? This is what unarmed, 23-year-old Keith Childress encountered on Dec. 31, 2015, as well as the countless other African Americans that deal with racial injustice throughout their community.

In Aug. of 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Collin Kaepernick – fed up with headlines of unarmed African American men being killed by police – used his platform as a professional athlete and sat during the playing of National Anthem in a pre-season game with Green Bay.

When asked about it, Kaepernick told reporters that he has “to stand up for people who are being oppressed.” The protest soon changed to kneeling – in an attempt to find a more respectful way to protest – and the rest of the League, and the nation, took notice.

Kneeling for the National Anthem is an outlet for stars, actors, celebrities, and civilians to display their protest of police brutality and racial injustice to the public.

Kaepernick transformed his personal views on police violence and inequality in the black community into a worldwide movement. By kneeling, he used his celebrity to draw attention to a cause, which began a communal protest throughout America.

“Standing up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color should not be encouraged,” he stated to reporters.

Kneeling is a peaceful protest that does not affect the community in a forceful or dominant manner; it simply kick-starts conversation and raises awareness for an important issue.

Not standing for the National Anthem is a legal form of protest, which is a fabric of the First Amendment. Instead of causing riots or other forms of chaotic rebellion, kneeling is a peaceful way of displaying your movement or cause.

The First Amendment protects our right to speak out freely on personal beliefs, which prevents lawmakers from creating any law that prohibits freedom of speech or the right to peacefully assemble in protest.
Kaepernick created an international movement by kneeling in objection towards the racial injustice and police brutality in America.

Kneeling for the National Anthem is much more than just an attention-grabbing protest; it helps raise awareness and build a safer community for those affected by police brutality and racial inequality.