Colin GQ

I absolutely love having a blog! I get to express my opinions like so many other of my fellow media colleagues.

GQ recently named Colin Kaepernick as its "Citizen of the Year". It’s interesting to read the outrage of some on social media. I agree with the move. I don’t think everyone realizes that he gave up his career for a cause. Think about it! All the years of practice hoping to be the best as a football player, finally getting the opportunity to play at an elite level, and getting paid to do what he loves to do are now gone. It seems that after reaching that plateau and making millions, he realized there was more to life. So like Muhammad Ali and the Jackie Robinsons of the world, he discovered he could make an even bigger impact on the world by using his platform for the good of mankind. The guy took a knee of submission as a silent protest for the violence done against black people by police officers. At the time of his silent protest, it was happening almost every week. Interestingly enough, it was a navy seal that convinced him to kneel as his choice of protest.

Over the past year, he not only took a knee, but he also donated over a million dollars of his own money including money from his jersey sales to help organizations working in what some might consider to be “oppressed communities." He founded the “Know your Rights Camp,” a youth camp which strives to raise awareness regarding higher education, self empowerment and how to properly interact with law enforcement. You can read more about it at WWW.KAEPERNICK7.COM . I’d say that’s practicing what you preach! Yet and still, the brother gets zero credit for the work he’s done behind his silent protest. Question: How would America feel if he had taken a knee as a silent protest against the way veterans are treated? Do you think he would've gotten the same reaction? Regardless of what you think, it's foolish to believe he relinquished a high level of the American dream like he did to be unpatriotic or a troublemaker.

It’s strange how some see the kneeling to be about disrespecting the flag instead of a cause against police brutality. I’m sure in 1955, it was disrespectful for Rosa Parks to not give up her seat on the bus. What were those nine black students thinking about in 1956 when they wanted to integrate LR Central High School? Some thought, YES, they deserved an education but how dare they do something so disrespectful and unheard of at the time, and for what? An equal education!? A better opportunity? Then there was Jackie Robinson, and what he dealt with just for the right to play baseball in the same country he fought for in the military. Now, they are all viewed as heroes in some aspect for the stand they took even though at the time, it was seen as much worse. I’m sure we’ll look back on Colin Kaepernick and think the same thing years from now. In closing, I can’t help but to think about that old saying-“if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”

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