Kaepernick on July Fourth: 'We reject your celebration of white supremacy'

[Auburn85 432]

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/505886-kaepernick-on-july-fourth-we-reject-your-celebration-of-white

 

Quote

 

Former NFL star and activist Colin Kaepernick marked July Fourth by sharing a video of actor James Earl Jones reciting Frederick Douglass's historic speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July" with Kaepernick calling the holiday a "celebration of white supremacy."

The video shows images of the Declaration of Independence, slaves, Klu Klux Klan members, lynchings and police brutality as Jones's voice narrates in the background: "Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?"

Kaepernick captioned the video with a strong condemnation of racism and a call for "liberation for all" in the future.

"Black ppl have been dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized + terrorized by America for centuries, & are expected to join your commemoration of 'independence', while you enslaved our ancestors," he wrote. "We reject your celebration of white supremacy & look forward to liberation for all."

 

Black ppl have been dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized + terrorized by America for centuries, & are expected to join your commemoration of “independence”, while you enslaved our ancestors. We reject your celebration of white supremacy & look forward to liberation for all. ✊ pic.twitter.com/YCD2SYlgv4

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) July 4, 2020

The impassioned statement comes as many citizens reflect on Independence Day in the context of nationwide protests against police brutality and racism. Lawmakers have faced growing pressure in recent weeks to pass comprehensive police reform as well as other policies to protect Black Americans in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and others who have been killed in police custody. 

Kaepernick has been an outspoken activist against racial inequality for years, drawing national attention and the ire of President Trump when in 2016 he began kneeling during the national anthem in a protest against police brutality. 

His charity, the Know Your Rights Camp, recently launched a fund to help cover the cost of lawyers for protesters arrested while demonstrating in Black Lives Matter marches and protests.

Other prominent figures have used their Fourth of July messages to address racism, including presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. who said the U.S. "never lived up to" the promise that all men are created equal.

“We have a chance to rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country,” Biden said. “We have a chance to live up to the words that founded this nation.”

 

 

[gr82be 14,401]

A different point of view. Some won't like the source but Mr. West's viewpoint is just as worthy of being heard or specifically read in this case. 

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/fourth-of-july-racial-discrimination-allen-west

 

Former Rep. Allen West: July 4th has special meaning for me as a black man who overcame discrimination

Sadly, we have become a nation of victims instead of citizens

 By Allen West | Fox News

Having served 22 years in the U.S. Army and rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel, it always fills me with great pride to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day.

The extraordinary tale of how 13 ragtag colonies stood up to the most powerful nation in the world at the time to form a free, constitutional republic is one of the greatest stories ever told.

Yet it seems many Americans are embarrassed to celebrate our history. In fact, there are some who are actively trying to rewrite and even erase 

In recent days, we have seen vandals deface monuments and topple statues, all in the name of so-called “social justice.”

While their main target has been memorials of Confederate figures, protesters have gone as far as removing The Pioneer Mother, a sculpture of a woman sitting with a Bible on her lap, in Portland, Ore. They have requested that a statue of American poet Walt Whitman be taken from Rutgers University campus in Camden, N.J.

State and local officials all across the nation also are acquiescing to protesters and have either removed or are planning on removing dozens of statues and memorials. In Boston, the city’s art commission voted to bring down a statue of President Abraham Lincoln – the man who signed the Emancipation Proclamation setting African-American slaves free!

Sadly, we have become a nation of victims instead of citizens.

Believe me, as a black man, I fully understand the impetus to correct the wrongs of the past. I was born in 1961 in a “blacks only” hospital in Atlanta, Ga., and grew up in the city’s Old Fourth Ward – the neighborhood that produced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and where the American civil rights movement captured national attention.

I am intimately familiar with the black community’s struggle for equality – not of outcome, but of the opportunity to pursue the American Dream.

Our nation’s past is not all peachy, but over the years I have learned history is not there for us to like or dislike. History is there for us to learn from.

Independence Day is an opportunity for us to thoughtfully reflect on our history and remember what the heart of America is really about.

Believe me, as a black man, I fully understand the impetus to correct the wrongs of the past.

The United States of America is remarkable for many reasons, but the key detail that sets us apart from all other nations is that the cornerstone of our founding is the ideal that our rights are given to us by God and not by man.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” wrote Thomas Jefferson in the preamble of our Declaration of Independence.

Later, after winning our hard-fought independence, James Madison codified and specified these rights in our Constitution, our rule of law.

The first 10 amendments to our Constitution are described as our Bill of Rights. They focus on the individual and our protections from what our Founding Fathers had experienced: the intrusive, invasive and onerous nature of tyrannical governance.

It’s because of this founding ideal of our rights being endowed by our Creator that I, a black man born and raised in the segregated South, was able to become a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who commanded a battalion in combat. After I retired from military service, I became a member of the United States House of Representatives, the second black Republican congressman in Florida’s history.

Has my life’s journey been without difficulties? No.

Have I faced opposition and at times discrimination because of the color of my skin? Of course!

Yet, I have been able to persevere and attain remarkable success because the ideal that we are equal in the eyes of God is etched in our Constitution. Today, this ideal empowers my two daughters to pursue their own American Dreams.

America has come a long way since 1776 because men and women who believe in our founding ideals fought for them to become a reality in our nation. This election year, it’s up to us to play our part in this story by voting for leaders who will protect our constitutional rights.

Unfortunately, millions of Americans – including up to 25 million Christians – historically do not participate in our national elections. We cannot afford to do that this year.

As somebody who is living proof of the American Dream, I encourage you to not sit out this election. This coming election is not about a person or personality – it’s about principles. It’s about the rule of law or mob rule.

For Christians, the consequences are especially dire. Either we keep our first liberty – freedom of religion, and the free exercise thereof – or we are relegated to the catacombs.

Let’s continue making America that great nation our Founding Fathers envisioned, where every citizen has what the Declaration of Independence calls the God-endowed rights to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Allen West is a former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida and a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel.

[homersapien 11,347]

Sorry, but anyone who says the following is obviously endorsing Trump's campaign propaganda:

"This coming election is not about a person or personality – it’s about principles. It’s about the rule of law or mob rule."

[Grumps 3,693]

Who is "we?" Does Kaepernick really think he is the spokesman for his race? He may be one of the faces of the BLM movement, but I have not perceived him as being the voice of it. He seems to think that America cares if he participates in the celebration of Independence Day. I am glad that he is free to celebrate or not celebrate as he sees fit.

[AUFAN78 3,889]

1 hour ago, homersapien said:

Sorry, but anyone who says the following is obviously endorsing Trump's campaign propaganda:

"This coming election is not about a person or personality – it’s about principles. It’s about the rule of law or mob rule."

You are part of the problem. Go live in another country or two or three or four and get back to me when you get educated. 

[wdefromtx 3,159]

5 hours ago, homersapien said:

Sorry, but anyone who says the following is obviously endorsing Trump's campaign propaganda:

"This coming election is not about a person or personality – it’s about principles. It’s about the rule of law or mob rule."

Out of the whole piece this is your takeaway?!?! Who am I kidding, of course it was. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[SocialCircle 570]

On 7/4/2020 at 9:28 PM, Auburn85 said:

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/505886-kaepernick-on-july-fourth-we-reject-your-celebration-of-white

 

 

 

[Mikey 16,545]

Quoting from the article in the OP: "Former NFL star and activist Colin Kaepernick"....

When was this failure a star? They should have written: "Former NFL flop and....."

[aubiefifty 16,660]

38 minutes ago, Mikey said:

Quoting from the article in the OP: "Former NFL star and activist Colin Kaepernick"....

When was this failure a star? They should have written: "Former NFL flop and....."

he beat cam in the superbowl.......

[wdefromtx 3,159]

2 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

he beat cam in the superbowl.......

That was Peyton Manning. 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

3 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

he beat cam in the superbowl.......

Kaep actually lost the Super Bowl to the Ravens.  Peyton and the Broncos beat Cam.

But he certainly wasn't a flop either.

[aubiefifty 16,660]

1 minute ago, wdefromtx said:

That was Peyton Manning. 

are you sure? dammit. i do not like cap but it is because he made fun of cams superman thing every time he did something. man i cannot remember doody anymore.

[wdefromtx 3,159]

2 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

are you sure? dammit. i do not like cap but it is because he made fun of cams superman thing every time he did something. man i cannot remember doody anymore.

Panthers and Niners are both in the NFC. 

[aubiefifty 16,660]

this is why i have mostly backed off from arguing in the political threads. i have things in my mind i would swear on a bible are correct and then boom! i step on my doo lolly. unless i have an article right in front of me i am letting stuff pass and i can tell you it is so humbling. i have no idea what to do about it. i read novels all the time and often have to reread stuff. but when one is about the truth and is convinced they see it only to be betrayed by a faulty brain is depressing. i hate to sound like a hypo but i fully believe i have early als....

[wdefromtx 3,159]

CK wasn’t a flop, maybe a “flash in the pan.” But he’s at a minimum a serviceable QB even if just a backup. I can think of many more flops than him. 

[AUDub 11,131]

6 minutes ago, wdefromtx said:

CK wasn’t a flop, maybe a “flash in the pan.” But he’s at a minimum a serviceable QB even if just a backup. I can think of many more flops than him. 

He was very, very good during that stretch for the 'niners under Harbaugh. Few defenses had an answer for him. 

[metafour 4,958]

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 minutes ago, metafour said:

He began his protest 5 years after that- and before Trump was elected. You ******* moron.

[metafour 4,958]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

He began his protest 5 years after that- and before Trump was elected. You ******* moron.

Awwww, are you upset?

Fun fact: all of his "noble" activism began once he started dating a militant SJW - he is a brainless beta cuck who can't think for himself, just like you are. Just another USEFUL IDIOT. 

Nice black avatar, how many black lives did you save in Chicago over July 4th weekend? 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

are you sure? dammit. i do not like cap but it is because he made fun of cams superman thing every time he did something. man i cannot remember doody anymore.

As a die hard Broncos fan who celebrated like a mad man every time Cam got sacked in that Super Bowl, I'm 100% positive.

[alexava 6,972]

3 minutes ago, Brad_ATX said:

As a die hard Broncos fan who celebrated like a mad man every time Cam got sacked in that Super Bowl, I'm 100% positive.

You are despicable. Lol that’s probably the best defense I’ve seen. Peyton was just there to not screw it up. 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

2 minutes ago, alexava said:

You are despicable. Lol that’s probably the best defense I’ve seen. Peyton was just there to not screw it up. 

Hey man, I was a Broncos fan long before I was an Auburn man.  Even saw games at the original Mile High Stadium.  Cried as a teenager when they beat the Packers for Elway's first SB win.

But you're right, Peyton's job was to get the hell out of the way that year.  That D was insane.

[I_M4_AU 7,760]

Kaeperninick started his protest during the preseason on 2016 after it was obvious that he was not going to be the starter for the 2016 season.

Kaepernick lost the quarterback competition for a number of reasons. Those are worth detailing, because they set up a convoluted context.

Yet the No. 1 reason why Kaepernick will be holding the clipboard to start 2016 is fairly straight forward.

The NFL adjusted to him. Kap didn’t adjust back.

https://ninernoise.com/2016/08/26/colin-kaepernick-lost-49ers-quarterback-competition/

He did start in game six of the 2016 season, but was not the leader the 49ers needed.

It appears Kap was more but hurt and his activism started because of that instead of a true leader of a mission (JMO).

It will be interesting to see if Kaepernick will get a backup position and if he does; will he get a contract more lucrative than Cam?

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

20 minutes ago, metafour said:

Awwww, are you upset?

Fun fact: all of his "noble" activism began once he started dating a militant SJW - he is a brainless beta cuck who can't think for himself, just like you are. Just another USEFUL IDIOT. 

Nice black avatar, how many black lives did you save in Chicago over July 4th weekend? 

Kind of you to go down the entire checklist of "I'm totally secure with myself and my masculinity" keywords at once. 

[ArgoEagle 1,765]

So sick of CK and all his grandstanding about the U.S. Trump put it so eloquently to AOC and Omar a few months back when he said "If you don't like America and what it stands for, then you are free to leave." I am fed up with the whining, crying, butt hurt liberals who hate our country and just won't shut up about how unfair their life is. PLEASE CK, GET OUT OF THE UNITED STATES NOW BY WHATEVER MEANS OF TRANSPORT NECESSARY! HERE'S A LAUNDRY LIST OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO BE AMERICANS THAT YOU CAN TAKE WITH YOU:  WHOOPEE, JOEY BAHAR, AOC, ILHAN OMAR, JOE BIDEN, BARAK OBAMA, MICHELLE OBAMA, ESPECIALLY NANCY PELOSI, AND MOST OF THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY. EVERYBODY THAT WANTS TO CHANGE OUR TRADITIONAL VALUES IN THIS COUNTRY AND WANTS TO DISRESPECT OUR COUNTRY, OUR FLAG, OR OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM, PLEASE LEAVE. GOODBYE, GOOD RIDDANCE, AND DON'T COME BACK!