Have you protested before?
What for?
Is their any form of protesting you are fully against like burning of the flag?
My first time participating in a protest was when I was in college. A good number of college staff and instructors were being fired for "budgetary reasons." A lot of us on campus believed it was personal. The president of the college fired the instructors because they wanted to join a union. Some of the staff that worked for the president for years were on the chopping block. One instructor claimed that the president(who was a female and the instructor a male) came on to him.
There was a televised meeting and I was in the audience. Two of the instructors hired an attorney who was also present. The board of inquiry asked that the attorney not to advise the instructors and let them speak. The attorney stepped aside and one of the instructors stepped up to the mic and said, "I have a constitutional right to have an attorney speak on my behalf. You are not infringing on my constitutional rights."
We in the audience gave him a round of applause. A secretary for the president stepped up and asked why she, whom had worked for the president for over five years was being let go in favor of someone who had only been working for a year. The president remained silent and cold. The woman broke down and cried. Her husband stepped up to comfort his wife. He came up to the mic as said, "If you all want to save money, why don't you take a cut on n your salaries?"
He received a round of applause.
The president finally spoke. And it was revealed that she not only had her salary but she also had expenses like the home she resides in, her car and entertainment expenses. Behind the audience was a window. The protesters were also watching and chanting for her ouster. The president looked at the window and became visibly shaken. After she was finished the board ended the meeting. This protest had everyone scared, including students, many of whom transferred to another college. It was a very tense time to be a student or faculty member of that school back then.
When I read about those who kneel during the national anthem, I am not offended. Kneeling can also be a symbol of respect. The issue with the kneeling for most of the people is what it represents. When two black Olympic athletes who received their gold medals, raised their right fists and nodded their heads during national anthem in Mexico in the 70's, that caused a stir. To the athletes, it was a salute to the black community and a positive image. To others, it was viewed as a threat.
I recently read an article about a country western singer who sang the national anthem while kneeling. She was known, but not a superstar. But her reasons were because she felt the same as the black people she had known in her life. Some of her band mates were black. After she finished, she had some applause and a lot of boos. But she was not deter and not sorry for what she had done.
I probably would not kneel but I would not attack anyone who does. I have nothing against free speech. I believe speaking up for one's beliefs is a great thing. Kaepernick's gesture was not a call to violence but a call to the masses to think about those who are suffering in this country. I look forward to this country being a better place than it is now.
