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En Español - Protests and Sports: 2016 - now

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En Español - Protests and Sports: 2016 - now

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Spoken Word Poem about Discrimination and Protest

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Spoken Word Poem about Discrimination and Protest

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What does this poem make you feel? Why do you think Kwame Alexander wanted the reader to feel that way?

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We celebrate black history to honor those who came before us, who laid the foundation for this house we call America, who struggled and excelled, who took a stand for what they believed in, and sometimes died doing so. We REMEMBER each tremendous journey, we RECOGNIZE the calamities, and we RAISE our voices in solidarity. We take a stand. Together. For the children. For America. And, we live.

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We celebrate black history to honor those who came before us, who laid the foundation for this house we call America, who struggled and excelled, who took a stand for what they believed in, and sometimes died doing so. We REMEMBER each tremendous journey, we RECOGNIZE the calamities, and we RAISE our voices in solidarity.

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How do the fans react to the NFL players linking arms?

What do you think about the fans' reaction? Do you agree or disagree with their reaction?

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Patriots Fans Boo Anthem Protesting NFL Players

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Patriots fans boo Patriots players who are protesting the national anthem. Donald Trump's comments on Friday night urging NFL owners to fire players who knelt for the national anthem backfired on Sunday afternoon as players across the league protested the president's comments.

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Teams Protesting and President Trump's Responses

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Teams Protesting and President Trump's Responses

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What do you think about the president's responses? Do you agree or disagree?

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Over the weekend, following President Trump's continued criticism of athletes choosing to protest by kneeling during the national anthem, NFL players across the country were faced with the question of what to do while "The Star-Spangled Banner" played before the game. More than 200 players chose to sit or kneel.

But how did the national anthem become such an integral part of professional sporting events in the U.S.?

"The earliest documented performance [of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at a baseball game] occurred on May 15, 1862, during the opening game played at Union Base Ball and Cricket Grounds in Brooklyn, New York," Marc Ferris writes in Star-Spangled Banner: The Unlikely Story of America's National Anthem. But as he later explained to NPR, hiring a band was a big enough cost that the anthem was saved for "special occasions" like opening day.

One famous example of this kind of special occasion was the first game of the World Series on Sept. 5, 1918.

Americans were so rattled by World War I that the game "almost didn't happen," according to the World War I Centennial Commission. "Out of respect for the soldiers, baseball officials wanted to cancel the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. When it became known, however, that American soldiers fighting in France were eager to know the Series' results, the games commenced." (On a more local level, Chicagoans were particularly on edge after a bombing at a federal building that housed a post office left four dead, with many suspecting that labor activists were behind it at a time when anti-union sentiment was high.)
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Red Sox third baseman and furloughed U.S. Navy sailor Fred Thomas' rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was so moving that the New York Times led its recap of the game not with a rundown of the athletes' performance, but rather with an assessment of Thomas's performance:

Far different from any incident that has ever occurred in the history of baseball was the great moment of the first world's series game between the Chicago Cubs and the Red Sox, which came at Comisky Park this afternoon during the seventh-inning stretch. As the crowd of 19,274 spectators...stood up to take their afternoon yawn...the band broke forth to the strains of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The yawn was checked and heads were bared as the ball players turned quickly about and faced the music. Jackie Fred Thomas of the U.S. Navy was at attention, as the stood erect, with his eyes set on the flag fluttering at the top of the lofty pole in right field. First the song was taken up by a few, then others joined, and when the final notes came, a great volume of melody rolled across the field. It was at the very end that the onlookers exploded into thunderous applause and rent the air with a cheer that marked the highest point of the day's enthusiasm.

The mind of the baseball fan was on the war. The patriotic outburst following the singing of the national anthem was far greater than the upheaval of emotion which greeted Babe Ruth, the Boston southpaw, when he conquered Hippo Him Vaughn and the Cubs in a seething flinging duel by a score of 1 to 0.

However, while the Times referred to the song as the national anthem, that was not technically the case yet. The song was then just an anthem for the U.S. Army and Navy, but it would prove to have legs ( even if the Cubs' World Series record would not). "The outpouring of sentiment, enthusiasm, and patriotism at the 1918 World Series went a long way to making the (song) the national anthem,'' John Thorn, Major League Baseball's official historian, told the Associated Press in July.

President Herbert Hoover signed a bill into law making "The Star-Spangled Banner" the official anthem of the U.S. in 1931, giving the country a national anthem for the first time.

During the World War II era, with the addition of sound systems that allowed the playing of recorded music at ball games, the performance became standard and moved from the seventh-inning stretch to the beginning of the game, Ferris has said. The tradition spread to football games, too.

At the end of the war, after Japan announced it would surrender, NFL Commissioner Elmer Layden called for all of the league's teams to play "The Star-Spangled Banner" at their games, arguing, "The National Anthem should be as much a part of every game as the kick-off. We must not drop it simply because the war is over. We should never forget what it stands for."

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Here's How Standing for the National Anthem Became Part of U.S. Sports Tradition

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Over the weekend, following President Trump's continued criticism of athletes choosing to protest by kneeling during the national anthem, NFL players across the country were faced with the question of what to do while "The Star-Spangled Banner" played before the game. More than 200 players chose to sit or kneel.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Praying with Group - 1965

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Martin Luther King Jr. Praying with Group - 1965

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Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy (center, back) kneel with a group in prayer before going to jail in Selma, Alabama. The group was arrested on February 1st, 1965 after attempting to gain the right to vote. Following the prayer, the group peacefully marched to jail.

After reading the caption, what does this photo make you think about? What does it make you feel?

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1st Anniversary of the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - 1969

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1st Anniversary of the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - 1969

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A large crowd kneels in prayer on Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee on the first anniversary of the assassination of MLK, Jr.

How is the action of kneeling in this photo similar and different from the action of kneeling that sports players are taking?

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Veteran Takes a Knee as President Trump's Car Drives Past - 2/27/2017 

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Veteran Takes a Knee as President Trump's Car Drives Past - 2/27/2017 

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What do you think about this veteran's protest? Do you agree or disagree with this form of protest?

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Marvin L. Boatright was checking the mail outside his family's funeral home business in Indianapolis last spring when a motorcade carrying Donald Trump, then a presidential candidate, whizzed by him for the first time.

"I wanted to give him a thumbs down," Boatright, a 60-year-old U.S. Army veteran told HuffPost. "But I didn't do anything. I just looked at him out of respect."

On Wednesday, he found himself within feet of the former reality TV star ― now president ― again, as Trump's motorcade traveled the same route past Boatright Funeral Home toward the state fairgrounds, where Trump would speak about tax reform.

This time, Boatright had a message to deliver. He desperately hoped someone in the motorcade would notice him, a proud military veteran, honoring his country and his flag ― on bended knee.

For the commander in chief to call our citizens 'sons of a bitches' was totally wrong and beneath the dignity of the office. Marvin L. Boatright, U.S. Army veteran

"As a veteran, and as an African-American, we have already and we continue to serve for God and country," Boatright said. "But you can have a love of God and country and still be against social injustice. You don't have to separate one from the other."

"For the commander in chief to call our citizens 'sons of a bitches' was totally wrong and beneath the dignity of the office that he holds," he said about Trump's repeated attacks against NFL players who kneel or sit during the national anthem to protest police brutality and systemic racism.

As Boatright took a knee, he wore an American Legion cap and cradled a folded flag ― a tribute to all veterans, including his father, who served in World War II and died almost 20 years ago. Some onlookers cheered him on, he added.

Boatright was shocked to learn someone from the motorcade had noticed him ― a photographer for Reuters. The picture went viral Thursday after an editor for Yahoo News tweeted it.

A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the POTUS motorcade passes him in Indianapolis. (Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst) pic.twitter.com/KrBlzhauai
- Colin Campbell (@colincampbell) September 28, 2017

"We love this country," Boatright, who served in the U.S. Army 1st Cavalry from 1974 to 1976, said of himself and other veterans. "We love this flag. But we also love life and liberty for all humanity."

"The kneeling was to bring dramatization to the disappointment that we have seen throughout our country as it relates to those who have been killed by our various police departments," Boatright said.

Over 200 NFL players, as well as dozens of other athletes in various sports, have taken a knee, sat or raised a fist in protest during the national anthem since Colin Kaepernick, then-quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, started the movement in August 2016.

Some critics of the protests say participating players are disrespecting military personnel and first responders, while others claim the demonstrations themselves aren't actually raising awareness about the issues.

Boatright disagrees on both fronts. He said the protests serve a "very important" purpose, especially for Americans who may not tune into cable news, but follow sports and entertainment.

"The issues that affect our nation can be seen and made visible through sports," Boatright said. "We need to get our racial equality act together, especially as it relates to police action and shootings around our nation. ... [The protests] were never about disrespecting our nation or the flag, which we hold so dear."

The second generation mortician isn't the only veteran to come to Kaepernick's defense. Others, including former talk show host Montel Williams, have passionately spoken out against the president's condemnation of the protests.

"We take an oath to defend this country, foreign and domestic," Boatright said. "But there's no enemy based on your right to express yourself ... We have to look at life through a broad lens, not a damn colored glass."

"We serve whomever," said Boatright, adding that he would defend the free speech of someone holding a Confederate flag, too. "We don't make a distinction and [Trump] should not have either."

As a disciplined veteran, Boatright held himself back from saying anything "derogatory" about the commander-in-chief out of respect for the office, but noted that he wouldn't have taken a knee if it weren't for Trump calling "fellow citizens sons of bitches last weekend."

In the 40-plus years since he served in the Army, Boatright has become a father of five and grandfather of four. He's holding out hope that the newest generation of Boatrights will one day experience a world like the one described in Dr. Martin Luther King's iconic "dream" speech.

"I would want my children to be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin," Boatright said. "You cannot ask for anything greater. ... We've not reached it yet, but I think we'll get there."

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Veteran Who Kneeled By Trump's Motorcade Explains Why Protests, Patriotism Go Hand In Hand

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Marvin L. Boatright was checking the mail outside his family's funeral home business in Indianapolis last spring when a motorcade carrying Donald Trump, then a presidential candidate, whizzed by him for the first time. "I wanted to give him a thumbs down," Boatright, a 60-year-old U.S. Army veteran told HuffPost.

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Take a Knee continues to gain ground.

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Celebrities, congresswoman, and others take a knee.

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The anger against President Donald Trump's attack on National Football League players who protest during the national anthem has now spread to Congress.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) took a knee on the House floor as she used a special order of the Congressional Black Caucus to condemn Trump on Monday night.

Trump has sparked widespread outrage since Friday, when he asked a crowd in Huntsville, Alabama, if they'd " love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, he's fired'?"

Although he did not reference Colin Kaepernick by name, Trump's remarks were an attack on the former San Francisco 49er, who protested police brutality and racial injustice by kneeling before games last season.

"There is no basis in the First Amendment that says you cannot kneel on the national anthem or in front of the flag," said Jackson Lee. "That is racism. You cannot deny it, you cannot run for it."

Jackson Lee later dropped to one knee, and said she did so "in honor" of the NFL players who similarly protested Trump's remarks over the weekend.

" I kneel in front of the flag and on this floor, I kneel in honor of the First Amendment, I kneel because the flag is a symbol for freedom, I kneel because I am going to stand against racism, I kneel because I will stand with those young men and I'll stand with our soldiers and I'll stand with America because I kneel," Jackson Lee said.

Her comments were echoed by a fellow Congressional Black Caucus member, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who said via a series of tweets that there is "nothing wrong with kneeling down to stand up against injustice."

The young people kneeling today are following a long tradition. #TakeAKnee #goodtrouble pic.twitter.com/kxZDMfrGF5
- John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) September 25, 2017

During another period, we knelt. There is nothing wrong with kneeling down to stand up against injustice. It's protected by the Constitution pic.twitter.com/HgxqkOsqPU
- John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) September 25, 2017
America does not do a good job of tracking incidents of hate and bias. We need your help to create a database of such incidents across the country, so we all know what's going on.

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Congresswoman Takes A Knee On The House Floor To Protest Trump's NFL Remarks

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The anger against President Donald Trump's attack on National Football League players who protest during the national anthem has now spread to Congress. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) took a knee on the House floor as she used a special order of the Congressional Black Caucus to condemn Trump on Monday night.