Recently, there has been much debate over an athlete's right to stand or kneel during the national anthem. The protesting of the national anthem began back in 1968 when two US Olympic track athletes stood during the national anthem with a raised fist to raise awareness of black power during the times of racism and inequality. In Louis Jacobson’s article about the controversy, he stated, “The recent controversy over the national anthem came back up in 2016 when NFL player Colin Kaepernick sat during the anthem before a game.” This problem has filtered down to the high school level. It is against a citizen’s rights to keep him or her from kneeling. Kneeling symbolizes a method of protesting against social injustices and equality. High School …show more content…
Individuals feel that no problems exist about racial equality or social injustices.Some argue that protesting the national anthem is like protesting the country and our veterans. Kneeling is not about disrespecting the military or the veterans. It is about trying to get the country, people in government, to open their eyes to all of the turmoil going on around the world. People are distraught, upset and sick of the violence, police brutality, social and racial injustices going on. Just as Martin L. King Jr. protested against the racial injustices years ago and non violently protested, students are finding other ways to stand up for what they believe in and what should be fair treatment for all. Protests of this one action have caused a feeling of despair and wonder for the country because it has brought us all apart and makes family and friends hate each other instead of enjoying each other. Once the racial discrimination and social injustices end in high schools and all around, our country might actually be able to become one and the protests will be able to stop. That will make everyone happy and we can continue to grow together as a community, country, and