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Nine years ago, Colin Kaepernick first kneeled ahead of the national anthem, catapulting an anti-racism movement into the global discourse. His protest was against police brutality and systemic racism; the fervor of resistance generated by this even remains in memory as the defining moment in late-modern activism. As Know Your Rights Camp recently mused on the Kaepernick journey, “love is at the root of our resistance.”
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It also spoke of the end of Kaepernick’s NFL career and of his constant struggle on the streets alongside civil rights warriors like Muhammad Ali and Angela Davis. Further developments of his work include, off the top of my head, the Autopsy Initiative, which gives free autopsies to families of victims of in-custody deaths, and the KYRC App, which provides resources about negotiating rights in policing and immigration in multiple languages.
Users, flooded with passion, said they’re in solidarity. “I can’t believe it’s been 9 years! I stand with Kap always!” said one. Another added, “Forever standing for injustice… Don’t ever let a mf tell ya we past kneeling cause we ain’t.” Folks were basically saying: Kaepernick’s protest is far beyond just being a moment; it’s been the seed of intractable change.
Adding yet another layer to the irony, there was a political jab saying Donald Trump punished the NFL for opposing his bids for ownership-an indirect reference to the fallout of the league with Kaepernick. Whatever the truth is, the broader gist remains certain: The stand that Kaepernick took has since become a platform for resistance to oppression, built on love, and defiance.
There is still work to be done; the sources also prove that with tools such as the KYRC multilingual app, the movement is taking steps to ensure that resources to oppose systems of oppression actually get into the hands of affected communities. That revolutionary kneel is still echoing from nine years back–because the fight is for something beyond that symbol.
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So yeah, maybe the anthem debate was never really in the mainstream lately, but the people didn’t forget. Neither has he.