The shift of the original #TakeAKnee message

By: Kayla Hunt, Columnist 

Sports Illustrated recently released a new cover image regarding the ongoing “dispute” with the NFL and President Trump. The cover is supposedly illustrating unity between sports teams across the nation. Media outlets have wasted no time whitewashing this story that has already been consuming them the past couple of weeks; very much so that it has trumped other important stories and tragedies that have been occurring. After Hurricane Maria devastated  Puerto Rico, our president felt little need to comment on the tragedy because U.S. citizens barely surviving from a natural disaster was of less importance than athletes kneeling during the national anthem.    

But if this dispute is going to take over media networks as it has, can the story at least be accurate? What are sports teams across the nation actually uniting against? The media has made this dispute revolve around the national anthem and the flag, but please let us not forget the primary fuel behind #TakeAKnee.

Colin Kaepernick took a knee last year in protest of police brutality and social injustices against people of color. However, no one seems to realize that, or at least remember and acknowledge that. Who shifted the narrative? Who shifted the original reason behind why Kaepernick took a stand – against injustice and calling for reform – and made it revolve around the flag and the national anthem? Who shifted Kaepernick’s agenda? Was it the media or critics? Kaepernick should have been the forefront of this recent Sports Illustrated cover because he is the forefront of this protest.

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