In response to recent police killings, many celebrities, including Colin Kaepernick, are taking a stand and speaking up against racism. On the very first episode of Is This OK? we discussed whether his actions were OK or not:
Kaepernick is a quarterback who plays for the San Francisco 49ers. In August he sparked controversy when he decided to sit during the national anthem before a game and later announced that he would be kneeling until black Americans had racial equality.
Sparking the question "Is this OK?"
While we agreed that Colin is exercising his right as an American to peacefully protest...
...Becky was torn. She understood both sides of the argument: Kaepernick exercising his right as an American but also the perception that his actions are disrespectful toward veterans...
...reminding all of us that Colin recently made a compromise to make sure that people were not missing the point of his protest.
And how even when he addressed that his intention wasn't to be disrespectful but to promote a message about the system we're living in, people were still upset...
...without really being aware that there is a larger debate on the national anthem itself being seen as racist.
Because whether it’s police brutality, sexual assault, or economic inequality, it seems like there will always be something worth kneeling for.
But in order to change, it's important that we revisit laws and aren't afraid to revise them.
