Standing on our Knees: Un-United States of a Racial Perspective

Divided by Racial Lines

Athletes take a knee when a player is injured on the field it’s a sign of unity and respect for a fallen brother regardless of which team they play for. Martin, Garner, Bland, Childress, Brown, Kager, Grant, Ahrens, Smith, Johnson and countless others are all names engraved upon tombstones. They are not injured but gone, dead due to a caste system ingrained within our society. They say justice is blind but it’s clearly divided by racial lines. Things have changed so much over the years from “Separate but Equal” to “We Shall Overcome” which has turned into “Hands up don’t shoot…” A nation’s flag is supposed to represent the unity of a nation’s people, and yet we have 50 United States full of a people divided.

A Wounded Nation

Too many have been trying to redirect focus in hopes of diluting or distracting from an issue with“Black Lives Matter,” “Blue Lives matter,” and “Not pledging allegiance is an attack on veterans.” These words are loud and obstructive to our attempts at reaching a higher place as a society. We are so quick to point to enemies whether real or self-created yet they pale in comparison to the actual threat we all face in this country which is hate. Hate is a wound deep within our nation that hasn’t healed and is well-hidden from the public eye, but able to be reopened at only a moments notice. All of this hate and confusion has infected us as a nation and we seem to be only limping into equality, acceptance, and most importantly love for one another. We can change all this, and although no one’s experiences in life are the same we can relate or empathize with the plight of our brothers and sisters. We can love.

So when an athlete takes a knee it’s not “an attack” it’s a symbol of unity and respect for a wounded nation in hopes we can finally help it heal.

This article originally appeared on LinkedIn.