Colin Kaepernick has proven his point. Injustice is still happening in America.
It always has, just in different forms.

Instead of everyone just pausing a few minutes to ponder this thought, we all got into an uproar over a peaceful protest.

A protest that does not minimize the impact made on our country by all fighting for freedom and the right to exercise it only spurred debate over how Kaepernick and three Philadelphia Eagles, among others, exercise it. I get that.

But you do realize that’s what the whole uproar was about, right? Patriotic yet political correctness vs. the exercise of freedom. It’s a clash that doesn’t make sense in America.

Well, neither are the questionable acts of force by police in Tulsa and Charlotte against black men, the former of which resulted in an officer being charged Thursday. Nor are the ensuing riots in Charlotte.

Yeah, Michael Jordan, it’s time to speak your piece for peace in your city. You are the owner of the Hornets and a more celebrated and accomplished athletic figure than Kaepernick, and people are more likely to take to your words than the actions of a benched quarterback.

Be as it may, Kaepernick, ever the pariah, drew attention to an ongoing problem before more problems arose.

I suggested a week ago that it was time to turn attention away from the protest to the actual conversation about police brutality (alleged and confirmed, of course) and other social injustices to the actual conversations that arose from Kaepernick’s protests. Sadly, the lost lives of two black men prompted more talk than any kneeling or fisting.

Now, whether it’s CBS, Fox, ESPN or Twitter that brings attention to any protest in the NFL, it’s highly likely neither network will go without mentioning either of this week’s incidents. Really, that’s all Kaepernick wanted.

Notwithstanding the color of my skin, I’ve tried to buy into the idea that he violated America and her flag (or her anthem). I know what I was taught in grade school and have practiced ever since.

That’s why I get the uproar.

Then, that image of 1968 Olympic track medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos comes to mind. Their raised fists on the podium were more daring for their time than those of the three Eagles on Monday night.

Smith and Carlos lost their medals over it. Kaepernick and any other protestors do not have to pay any worse of a price.

Their method of protest isn’t my method, but that’s not to make everyone happy.
I can’t. You can’t. Protestors don’t.

The right to peacefully protest all injustices during our national anthem is as fundamental as the sense of pride to honor our country and the brave men and women who have fought for it and good cops who protect our lives in it daily. The message behind such protest, no matter how politically incorrect, cannot be ignored.
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I.C. Murrell can be reached at 721-2435 or at ic.murrell@gmail.com. On Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews