Colin Kaepernick’s decision to exercise his freedom of speech is precisely the right that our nation was founded on. So, before you burn Kaepernick’s jersey, slander his character or accuse him of disrespecting our troops, take a minute and think about what he is actually saying.

What many Americans are failing to acknowledge is how American Colin Kaepernick is actually being.

It is odd that the people sporting “Make America Great Again” merchandise are the same people condemning Kaepernick for pointing out that America isn’t currently in its best shape.

Kaepernick is essentially saying that there is more oppression than freedom in this country. Any attempt to disprove this is disrespectful to the countless number of unarmed people of color who have met their end at the hands of police officers.

What Kaepernick is saying is that there are more crooked political forces than benevolent ones. There is more bad in this nation than people have been choosing to acknowledge.

This is demonstrated in the 160 deaths of unarmed black civilians by cops who walked away scott-free in 2016 so far.

What sets Kaepernick apart from his peers is his decision to not blind himself to the strife of his race with his fortune. What anti-Kaepernick ‘patriots’ expect is for the man who was raised in all of his disadvantages growing up as a black man in America, to play this All-American sport and for their entertainment.

They expect the man to simply play, have no convictions, no worldly intelligence, because that is not what he’s being paid for. Far be it for America to pay a man who protests their hierarchy and corrupt systems of control. “No, Kaepernick,” they say, “only use the liberties we want you to use.”

Some people question Kaepernick’s legitimate concern for these issues and if his motives are actually pure. To these people, let me just say, he was not just risking every contract he’s signed, his football career, and his public reputation; the man’s life was on the line. Only a person of color could understand the serious danger of taking such a forthright public stance.

He would not be the first man to take a stand against the government or law enforcement and also meet his end at the hands of angry supremacists or a government agency.

Kaepernick had no way of predicting the outcome of this decision. He had no way of predicting that his jersey sales would sky-rocket and fellow nobel athletes would follow his lead. Therefore, to call this a publicity stunt rather than a taking a huge risk for what he believes is absolutely thoughtless.

Kaepernick fearlessly reclaimed his right as an American. In the midst of relentless police misconduct and irresponsible politics to back it, this NFL player has done something that is long overdue and yet, many Americans were not prepared for it. The unpreparedness stems from a lack of accountability for minority struggle in modern society.

People don’t want to accept Kaepernick’s decision. Many try to find some way to invalidate his argument because the fact of the matter is that they don’t want to face the truth of it.

That would mean that somebody or something is responsible for this. That would mean that these people would be held accountable for contributing or allowing an oppressive system to deteriorate minorities. That would mean that these systems would need to be dismantled, reform would have to be implemented and things would have to change. There is too much white privilege on the line for that.

However, all ‘patriotic’ citizens should know that we ought to embrace our freedoms because, for a free country, we often oppress what we do not understand.

Everyone develops their own convictions based on their own experiences and morals. I believe that’s the basic tenet of our democratic freedom.

Still, if you don’t agree with Kaepernick, that’s OK. But the next time you try to argue that he’s ‘Un-American, just know that the man is paying homage to the freedoms this country was founded on.