We all know Colin Kaepernick is right. So, I will not debate any of you who say the NFL has a right to shun him. Of course they do, but that does not make them right.
Kaepernick is being punished for exercising a God-given right, a right that defines Americanism at its core but one that flies in the face of business and selective patriotism and outright hypocrisy.
The silent collusion against him is the same kind that black people face in business each day. Some of us ignore it and it drives others of us crazy because we are never sure just what is behind the rejection and we always suspect the worst.
Colin Kaepernick is a multiracial man who was orphaned and blessedly landed in the bosom of a God-fearing family who loved him and nurtured his athletic gifts.
And then one day, he realized that he could not separate part of himself from the indomitable soul of his people and that famous or not, rich or not, he could be murdered and the same society that gave him the money and fame would allow his death to go unpunished because of the color of his skin. He could not abide this and not only because he's black but because he was raised by a Christian family who taught him better, who told him that he was indeed his brother's keeper.
All these players telling him to let it go are just the kind of damaged meat the NFL loves, weak, pliable men who do not have a tenth of the principle and nobility in the heart of the man they criticize.
I know most people will not turn off the NFL this year, but I will. I know it won't do a damned thing but it will make me feel better. The NFL season is 16 games long and so each Sunday, I will watch one of these 16 films instead.
1. MALCOLM X
2. THE FIVE HEARTBEATS
3. FRIDAY
4. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
5. SOUL FOOD
6. BOYZ IN THE HOOD
7. DO THE RIGHT THING
8. FEAR OF A BLACK HAT
9. NEW JACK CITY
10. BLADE
11. LOVE JONES
12. BOOMERANG
13. MENACE TO SOCIETY
14. COMING TO AMERICA
15. COOLEY HIGH
16.TRADING PLACES
I know you're thinking "It's easy for a Detroit Lions fan to give up football." Well, if you think this is about football, then you haven't been paying attention.
Kaepernick is being punished for exercising a God-given right, a right that defines Americanism at its core but one that flies in the face of business and selective patriotism and outright hypocrisy.
The silent collusion against him is the same kind that black people face in business each day. Some of us ignore it and it drives others of us crazy because we are never sure just what is behind the rejection and we always suspect the worst.
Colin Kaepernick is a multiracial man who was orphaned and blessedly landed in the bosom of a God-fearing family who loved him and nurtured his athletic gifts.
And then one day, he realized that he could not separate part of himself from the indomitable soul of his people and that famous or not, rich or not, he could be murdered and the same society that gave him the money and fame would allow his death to go unpunished because of the color of his skin. He could not abide this and not only because he's black but because he was raised by a Christian family who taught him better, who told him that he was indeed his brother's keeper.
All these players telling him to let it go are just the kind of damaged meat the NFL loves, weak, pliable men who do not have a tenth of the principle and nobility in the heart of the man they criticize.
I know most people will not turn off the NFL this year, but I will. I know it won't do a damned thing but it will make me feel better. The NFL season is 16 games long and so each Sunday, I will watch one of these 16 films instead.
1. MALCOLM X
2. THE FIVE HEARTBEATS
3. FRIDAY
4. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
5. SOUL FOOD
6. BOYZ IN THE HOOD
7. DO THE RIGHT THING
8. FEAR OF A BLACK HAT
9. NEW JACK CITY
10. BLADE
11. LOVE JONES
12. BOOMERANG
13. MENACE TO SOCIETY
14. COMING TO AMERICA
15. COOLEY HIGH
16.TRADING PLACES
I know you're thinking "It's easy for a Detroit Lions fan to give up football." Well, if you think this is about football, then you haven't been paying attention.
