“Do Not Forget Colin Kaepernick”

There are 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL. There are fewer than 96 in the league at any given time. About 5 years ago Colin Kaepernick was one of them, which means that he held one of the most exclusive, and desired, positions of leadership in all of the world. He was also among the highest wage earners. He led his team to a Super Bowl. Short of winning the Super Bowl, he had little else to prove, even though he had much more that he could have accomplished. There is no video of Colin Kaepernick being brutalized by police. No images of him being carelessly and recklessly murdered by unqualified, at best, officers. Nope, just clips of him playing the game he excelled at and the one many of us wish we could. And despite this, Colin Kaepernick decided that he had seen enough police brutality and human injustice to take a stand. So he knelt down. That’s all. During the National Anthem he took a knee to bring awareness to America’s social conscience. In doing so he was stripped of everything that made him, professionally, who he was. There have been political activists and protesters and community leaders for ages. Not all are created equal……….but Colin Kaepernick must be counted among the most authentic, true to the very essence of activism for change. There have been “movements” for social equality since the landmark achievements in the ’60s, but their is one element that many modern movements did not contain enough of. That element: SACRIFICE. Colin Kaepernick gave up so much with the promise of so little in return. Yet, he displayed the kind of selflessness, sacrifice, courage and determination that all successful “movements” are built upon. For that, we all should appreciate his contributions to the new social justice protests and, more specifically, Black Lives Matter. (By the way, if the title “Black Lives Matter” makes you uncomfortable and you need the word “All” for your acceptance, this is for you: “ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER”). Colin Kaepernick’s role as the catalyst for the modern movement should not be marginalized, mitigated are underestimated. Why? Because he sacrificed more than most of us had the courage to do so. Thank you Colin. WE WILL NOT FORGET!