Why Colin Kaepernick’s Protest Matters
Our Managing Editor shared a few thoughts on Twitter regarding Colin Kaerpernick’s recent decision not to stand during the National Anthem. The quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers has made it clear that he does not support the injustices against Black Americans in the United States.
In essence, she argues that Kaepernick’s protest should be seen as a larger disruption of white supremacy. See her tweets below and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Can we talk about the real reason there is backlash against #Kaepernick? Can we be real?
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
#Kaepernick sits at the intersection of class & gender privilege. He is a prominent athlete. He is for many ppl the quintessential American.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
Given the details of his parentage, he likely also fits neatly into the "picked up from the bootstraps" narrative so many Whites love.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
And, although he is biracial, these accomplishments and experiences make #Kaepernick effectively white in the eyes of many.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
An implicit agreement among Whites is that seeing race is racist. Seeing Blackness as endangered, as #Kaepernick does, is then anti-white.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
#Kaepernick plays football, has money, is male. For many White folks, this is like an inoculant against racial awareness and sensitivity.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
Why would a White person opt to "see" race if given the choice? They wouldn't. That's why #Kaepernick is pissing folks off.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
If a White person acknowledges racial difference, then they simultaneously acknowledge racial disparity. This is a threat.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
White hetero patriarchal capitalism only survives because those with the power to dismantle it refuse to acknowledge it's existence.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
And because dismantling it means eradicating the systemic unearned privileges granted over generations to descendants of White colonists.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
So no, #Kaepernick sitting down is not simple. It's complex. It's important too.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
Protest is often called a "weapon of the weak." What does it mean when it is utilized on behalf of the oppressed by someone with power?
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
#Kaepernick's action calls into question not only the pervasive violence against Blacks but the consumers who believed he agreed with it.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
What's the purpose of whiteness but to shield a class of individuals from an equal share of labor while paying unequal shares of benefit?
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
#Kaepernick is pushing back against the idea that one's maleness, high classedness, and protectedness is a justification for racism.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
#Kaepernick is breaking the rules.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
As someone who has a visceral hatred for the plantation-style athletic industrial complex, I'm excited to see what's to come of #Kaepernick.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
I'm not naive enough to overset expectations but I do think athletes who protest have a particularly powerful stage on which to negotiate.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) August 30, 2016
Photo: Instagram/Colin Kaepernick