What the NFL protests are really about

It’s not about the flag, it’s about racism. No Images? Click here       The #TakeAKnee protests, following in Colin Kaepernick’s footsteps in condemning racial injustice, have sparked fierce debate nationwide.  After Trump called NFL players who kneel during the anthem in protest “son of a bitch,” people clapped back on Twitter, and even more athletes decided to #TakeAKnee. Over the past week, others have joined the protests from beyond the field, with everyone from law professors to Stevie Wonder to a 97-year-old World War II vet taking a knee in solidarity. To be clear, while the protests have sparked a nationwide debate on the American flag, the national anthem and the First Amendment, #TakeAKnee was never about the flag: It's about racism. That’s something some white people, from white Christians to NFL owners, don’t seem to get. It’s also worth noting that while Trump has been attacking black athletes who speak out, just last month he implied that some of the Nazis who marched in Charlottesville were “very fine people.” Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter Bernice King said it best when she reminded the country that black people protesting injustice, and white people trying to suppress them, is nothing new: “People didn't approve of the way my father protested injustice either.” So we all could benefit from learning more about the trauma of being a black activist in 2017. Meanwhile, more than a month after white supremacists marched through UVA's campus, students are still grappling with the aftermath. One former dean, who has been fighting white supremacy since decades before the rally, said: “I don’t believe things have changed that much.”   LEARN MORE   White supremacy won't fall with just a few statues. Keep up with the story here. ©2017 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe   - - Unsubscribe