Taking a knee thoughtful response

I have been thinking about what has been going on at NFL football games (“Anthemic responses,” New York Times article, Monday’s Dispatch). We all know by now that a year ago Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem. When asked about it in an interview, he said, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

One of the first rules in communication is to listen to what the other person is really saying. I do not hear him saying that he hates America, cannot stand the military, or wants to burn the flag. I hear him saying that he is tired of a society that does not admit that black people are still treated differently in America.

Martin Luther King Jr., in the 1960s, wrote about people being more concerned about the effects of demonstrations than about underlying causes. He also wrote promoting nonviolent direct action. It seems to me that the initial act of taking a knee during the anthem was a very calculated and thoughtful decision to use nonviolent direct action to bring an issue in society to light.

I hear these athletes saying to me, “Please look at things honestly and see the things that do not match what we all want America to be. See these things and help change them so all can stand proudly below our flag when our anthem is sung.” Let’s hear them and see what can be done.