By Skyler Black
Newsprint
Mercy HS
1st Place
Division 4, News Writing
News Analysis
Before rising to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, senior Kyana Donaldson scans the classroom. She sees several students’ backs to her with hands over their hearts, reciting the pledge, but also notices some of her peers sitting in silence out of the corner of her eye.
Donaldson becomes conflicted; she is eager to show her support for the national protest against racial injustice, but fears a negative reaction from her classmates and her teacher. Dating back to Colin Kaepernick, the former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who knelt during the National Anthem in August 2016 in protest of racial injustice, the issue of kneeling for national anthem has been debated across the country.
The discussion was further deepened when two NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals, locked arms and knelt together this past month during a game. Following the NFL teams’ protest, many other football teams and prominent figures followed in suit shorty after. Donald Trump has recently expressed his thoughts on the matter, and the NFL organization has since requested that all players stand, even suspending Kaepernick from the league.
The NFL’s actions and the reactions of prominent organizations and political figures have also sparked many different reactions from the American people.
“When I first saw Kaepernick kneel, I was extremely shocked,” Donaldson said. “But, when I realized what he was protesting, I greatly admired his bravery for standing up for what he believed in. I did not imagine that this issue would grow to be so controversial. It seems everyone has different outlooks on it.”
Many students, like Donaldson, firmly believe in the protest and strongly support it.
“I think it’s a good way to protest,” said senior Hannah Blakey, Black Awareness for Student Education (B.A.S.E) club president. “[If] people aren’t getting upset and are okay with [the protest], then it is not really going to catch anyone’s attention and you’re not going to be able to change anything.”
While several students think the protest brings awareness to racial injustice, others feel the opposite.
“I think that no matter what, you should be proud of your country, even if there are things you don’t agree with in it,” said junior Emma Pickett. “You’re still able to voice your opinions. That’s something you should be able to stand up for because the fact that you can state your negative opinions about your country just shows how much freedom you actually have.”
People also believe that this form of protest disrespects military service and the country’s ideals.
“People fight and die for that flag everyday,” said Pickett, who has many family members affiliated with the military. “You should respect that because even if you don’t agree with things that the country or government stands for or you don’t agree with wars that are being fought overseas. You should still respect that there are people risking their lives every day.”
However, some students who are related to veterans see their service differently.
“When I talk to people who serve, especially in my family, it is because they love this country and fight to protect basic freedoms, including freedom of speech,” said junior Alexis Dicke. “Many believe that this form of protest is disrespecting those who have served for the flag, but those people did not only serve for the flag; they served to protect a country that has basic rights and freedoms.”
Although some argue that the protest overlooks the military’s service, many who support kneeling during the National Anthem explain that it is not to disrespect veterans, but to call attention to police brutality.
“The protest is simply about the mistreatment of African Americans by law enforcement,” said Donaldson. “But many people have turned it into an argument about honoring veterans. The form in which the football players [protest] shows no disrespect and has brought attention to the cause which was the overarching goal.”
Many students share their opinions outside of the halls of Mercy, but some classes and clubs tackle this particular topic and encourage students to express their opinions, such as Mercy’s Contemporary Issues class.
“Overall we were very respectful of the opinions shared,” said senior Sarah Kullen, a student who taking Contemporary Issues. “Those who believe they should be able to sit for the pledge [made] their main arguments. . . [and] those who said they should stand for the pledge argued [them], but we all respected each other in the end.”
Kullen recalls their informative discussion, saying it was successful because the classroom atmosphere offered a place where one could share their ideas freely.
“I thought that we had a very productive discussion in class, a very open and respectful discussion about differing opinions,” said Mrs. Cindy Richter, who teaches the contemporary issues course. “Students have their own opinions formed, but they are open to listen to each other. At the end of the day, I don’t have to change your mind and you don’t have to change my mind and I think that that’s kind of where we fall short as a society.”
Other organizations, such as B.A.S.E and the Human Relations Council (HRC), also address these types of issues and are both going to touch on the National Anthem ordeal in the future.
“HRC is there to help spread diversity, relieve racial tensions and to try to deal with discrimination in the school, so we will definitely be talking about the issue in our upcoming meetings,” said sophomore Elise Sikora, an HRC representative.
Amidst opposing viewpoints, Donaldson speaks for many when she stresses the importance of respecting each other’s opinions about such a controversial issue.
“While I feel strongly about this topic, I respect other’s views, even if they conflict with mine,” said Donaldson. “I think everyone should listen to each other’s views and respect them as well.