I AM not the type to of black person that jumps on the black bandwagon just because everyone else in the African American community jumps on board. In 1987 when the black community was outraged with Tawana Brawley’s claim of rape, I was skeptical; in 1988 if I had sense enough to vote, I would not have cast my ballot for Jessie Jackson; I favor Malcolm more than I do Martin; I don’t want to jump over no broom, I think Kwanzaa is a made up holiday guilty of commodification and I didn’t like the movie Black Panther. But, when it comes to the NFL protest, I am in complete agreement with the players. I believe African Americans must stand up against blatant injustice, racism and inequality and protesting in sports arenas during the national anthem is the perfect venue to do so.
I must confess when I first heard about Colin Kaepernick’s decision to take a knee during the national anthem, I was torn between my beliefs that we as African Americans have overcome and the reality, that's demonstrated over and over again, showing we have not. Because I was torn I decided to get all my facts together and make an honest decision as to whether it’s appropriate to take a knee or not.
So, I went back—way back—back in time to 1619. The year the first Africans came to America. They came not as slaves, but as immigrants—immigrants who bargained repayment for passage to the new world by working 1-7 years as servants for the white colonist in the new world. Originally these indentured servants must have believed seven years a fair price to pay for freedom, but tides changed quickly--with a single stroke of a pen, slavery became the law of the land. In 1641 the Proclamation of Prince Charles II of England declared slavery for blacks in the US a legal institution and white colonial land owners seized upon this opportunity to make themselves a great nation.
It was then blacks were forced to participate in an economic system that would keep them shackled and chained for generations and generations and generations and generations. White landowners justified keeping blacks in bondage by perpetuating the lie that those born with black skin were inferior, or less than human. They even went so far as to deny the truth and classify blacks as cattle. Amazes me how everybody went along with the fallacy.
The outright mendacity of these white colonists was demonstrated in 1776 during their own fight for freedom and independence. The American Revolution was a revolt against England, white Patriots desired to build a perfect union free of taxation and annexation with England. While the Patriots fought for their Independence, they coveted black slaves like diamonds. Interesting enough free blacks fought alongside America, knowing their brothers and sisters, their aunts, and uncles were still held captive under the bondage of slavery.
May 11, 1812, America declared war on Great Britain for seizing American ships. At that time Great Britain took advantage of the American hypocrisy and started a campaign that enticed slaves to join Britain in their fight in exchange for freedom. More than 4000 blacks escaped US slavery and fought alongside Great Britain. This is significant because after the final battle between the US and Great Britain, at Fort Francis, Scott Key penned the poem that would become our national anthem. In one stanza of this anthem Key admonished those slaves that had the audacity to stand up for themselves and fight against the country that kept them in bondage:
"No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.
This all may sound disjointed: Slavery, The American Revolution, and the War of 1812, just like black football player's decision to protest during the national anthem may seem disjointed. But when you dig deep and consider the circumstances, you see it's not disjointed at all. There's a single connector, a pattern of usury and disrespect that has stained American History since 1641. Many people want to believe this stain has been removed, blotted out by the false promise of forty acres and a mule, or the civil rights movement, or Barack Obama.
After considering these things, I've concluded the animosity and opposition to NFL Players taking a knee is because that very act shines too big a light on the American duplicity that started in 1641, was ignored in 1776, inked in 1812 and continues to exist even today. The world believes America has transcended other nations because we embrace freedom for all regardless of race, nationality or religious beliefs, but our history tells a different story. Taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem is like placing a mirror in the front of all America and showing them a reflection of America’s past sins and exposing the current condition, revealing they're one the same.
Three questions remain: Should African Americans sing the national anthem with their hands over their chest, a song whose lyrics admonished their ancestors for escaping the plight of slavery? More than that, should we continue to place our hands over our hearts, and sing along with this anthem, ignoring the fact that black men and women continue to be profiled, stopped, beaten, and murdered by police officers? And more than that, should African Americans ignore the fact that our denial makes us complicit in the American hypocrisy.
I know there are some folk that will argue, only 1-2 innocent blacks die at the hands of police officers, but Isn't a single innocent life, one too many? When Kaepernick took the knee on that faithful day in August, he was saying that he would no longer place his hands over his heart and sing an anthem that condoned racial inequality and condemned blacks for fighting for freedom. He was unequivocal saying, Black Lives Matter!
Since 2016 countless analysts, media sources, and NFL commentators have waged arguments for and against Kaepernick’s decision to take a knee. Black NFL players that have taken a stand with Kaepernick have faced outrage from people who cry, “It’s a disrespect to our military.” Blacks that refuse to stand for the anthem have been disparaged, even by people amongst our very own race—Uncle Tom black folks that ignore those two stanzas in the anthem, make excuses for police that shoot and kill blacks in cold blood, because they have convinced themselves that today is a different day and racial bias only exist in the past, at the same time they tout along with others who hope to MAGA.
Here we are in 2018 and we're debating the same question. Owners, like Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, with his slave mentality, has threatened to suspend players that don’t stand for the anthem. The NFL Protest has become such a divided issue that even Donald Trump has weighed in against the protesters.
"Be happy be cool," words tweeted by a man that pledged to be the President of a United State, yet he wants to root out everything the only black US President has accomplished. He wants to put a stain in place of achievement and is so desperate to rid the country of President Obama's legacy, he will even debate crowd size to make himself appear superior to a black man. Trump wants black NFL protesters to acquiesce to his subtle command, or suffer the consequences--perhaps the doom and gloom of the grave.
NFL players could have protested in different ways. They could have done something as extreme as burn American flags, like they did in 1968 when Americans protested the Vietnam War. They could demand that stanza be stricken from the national anthem--but have not. Instead, they have decided to take a knee--even that's too much for people like Jerry West, Donald Trump and other so-called patriotic Americans.
I say—take a knee NFL players, take an audacious knee!
The rights to the content and images on this website are owned by Jacqueline Session Ausby, and you have no right to use any of the content / images without her expressed permission. If you would like to contact Jacqueline Ausby, please email jmbeausby@aol.com.