People of America are about to lose their minds over Colin Kaepernick’s choice to not stand for the National Anthem. Fans are calling him horrendous names, burning his jerseys and even going so far as to tell him to go back to Africa. Really?

Yes, at times while exerting those rights, I fully understand that there are consequences. But to hear the level of viciousness and rage coming from people who are upset that he chose to sit instead of stand is totally blowing my mind.

Here is something for you to chew on…. while the American Dream has been made available to most, it is still being systematically denied to many despite the fact that so many willingly made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in every war since the American Revolution. If you talk with a person of color, you will hear pretty much the same sentiment he is expressing. If you look around, you will see there are some serious problems here for people of color on individual levels as well as institutionalized levels, on top of having a lesser value placed on their lives. And it has been for as long as I can remember. So excuse me people, if I choose to agree that sitting quietly, while showing discontent is an acceptable choice.

I encourage you before you cast that first stone, to have a conversation with a person of color. We need to talk about it. Stop the condemnation! Stop the tunnel vision! Stop the hate. Try seeing the perspective on the other side of the coin.

Ask yourself…

• where is the outrage when statistics tell us according to recent US Census Bureau data, “24.7% of all blacks live in poverty in comparison to 8.6% of all non-Hispanic White, 11.8% of all Asian-American and 23.2% of all Hispanic.”
• where is the outrage in the fact that according to the US Department of Education, “Nearly half of the nation’s black students attend high schools in low-income areas with dropout rates that hover in the 40-50% range.”
• where is the outrage in the fact that even the United Nations issued a statement coming from the United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent. It listed several concerns that highlighted racial disparities such as police brutality, mass incarceration and the school-to-prison pipeline here in America.

There are way too many statistics to list. But the point here is, we have a problem here in America. If you are one of the people who say “We talk about race too much”, then I would say, “You are part of the problem”.

I cannot begin to tell you the conversations I personally hear from white people who think they are in the safety of their own kind and will say things they would never say to black people’s faces. They have no idea I am black. I have heard ugliness and viciousness and fear. Yes, sadly fear.

That is why I am thrilled that Colin chose to sit. I am thrilled that once again “race” is being put in the forefront. We need to have conversations. We need to learn to talk. We need to listen to each other in this country. We need to work this out. There is everything to lose, contrary to Trump’s recent rant on his pathetic solution.

If you are tired of talking about it, imagine how you would feel living it every single day! It gets weary! So sit on Colin Kaepernick. I am with you all the way! And friends who know me, let’s have that conversation….without condemnation on both our sides.

Source of statistics:  Ebony Magazine 02/05/16    Article:  United Nations ‘Concerned’ About Treatment of Blacks in America
Group calls for country to address structural racism in statement