Colin Kaepernick's True Sin

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Colin Kaepernick, an NFL player, decided to silently protest the injustices against people of color and police brutality by refusing to stand for the national anthem. Kaepernick, a biracial man, said "the stand wasn’t because I feel like I’m being put down in any kind of way. This is because I’m seeing things happen to people that don’t have a voice, people that don’t have a platform to talk and have their voices heard, and effect change." He has been publicly ridiculed by former and current NFL players, "fans," and some media channels.

Kaepernick is accused of being unpatriotic by his detractors but he is actually exercising his freedom of expression. There is no specific way to be a patriot. And if he has freedom, why is he NOT free to express himself how he wants? Race and class seem to be huge factors. A news anchor said that Kaepernick was too rich to protest. One would argue that people would pay more attention because he is rich and famous than they would if he was an everyday, poor person. A former player even remarked that Kaepernick shouldn't protest because he doesn't understand what it is to be a black man. This statement made no sense because it implies that someone cannot be against the injustice that another person faces. Even if Kaepernick was not black (which he is), why wouldn't black people want him to speak up for the injustices they face? Can men not protest against sexism?  Furthermore, some of the most prolific civil rights advocates have been lighter skinned men of color (See: Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, Huey Newton, Harry Belafonte, Thurgood Marshall) so to make the argument that Kaepernickis not black enough does not make sense. Being called unAmerican for exercising your constitutional right is hypocrisy. It seems that some Americans don't want Kaepernick to be engaged in the community and politically active. To me, being silent or apathetic when injustices happen is the most unAmerican and unpatriotic thing to do.