AFROWB111916.A4

A4 The Afro-American, November 19, 2016 - November 25, 2016
COMMENTARY
Kaepernick Sparks a Not-So-
Silent Revolution from the Field
A bold but simple gesture by San Francisco 49ers
quarterback Colin Kaepernick has catapulted him into the
public spotlight for something other than his athletic prowess,
stoking what some describe as controversy while generating
support and considerable anger in some corners.
His decision to sit and then kneel during the national anthem
earlier this year, and his reasons for doing so, has caused a
groundswell of national discussion around race, justice and
equality, as well as resentment and criticism from those who
disapprove of Kaepernick’s action.
This young man mirrors other athletes from the recent past
who, because of the racial and social inequalities around them,
became social and political activists. This includes Muhammad
Ali, Billy Jean King, Jim Brown, Arthur Ashe, Althea
George Lambert Gibson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Russell, John Carlos and
Tommie Smith.
As an activist and the representative of an activist civil rights organization, what we see
in people’s reaction to this issue speaks to the necessary role social critics and advocates play
and the discourse that must take place in a country wracked by issues of race, class, gender
disparities and wealth imbalances.
What I find interesting and most troubling is that rather than respond to Kaepernick’s protest
of the extrajudicial killings of primarily unarmed Black men, women and children, the overpolicing
of Black and Brown communities, police harassment and brutality and racial injustice
in the United States, his critics have opted to ignore the substance of his critique and latched
onto his supposed disrespect for the flag and anthem.
History has shown that most mass movements never started with a large assemblage of
followers. Usually, a small band of visionaries met, planned, strategized and implemented
actions to reach their desired collective goals. Kaepernick’s experience is no different.
His stand has incited the vitriol of critics who have hammered him as disrespectful,
unpatriotic, pampered, ungrateful and racist. Some 49er fans have burned his football jersey and
he’s described as the most hated man in the National Football League and seven of 10 National
Football League executives told one sports journalist that Kaepernick would be a pariah if he
becomes available to be traded. Even his mother tweeted her disapproval.
But Kaepernick has captivated the country and sparked a sometimes intense debate not only
about the state of race relations in America, but about what exactly it means to be a patriot. And
as Black men and women continue to be killed by police —most notably Terrence Crutcher in
Tulsa and Keith Scott in Charlotte — Kaepernick’s initial protest has mutated and spread.
As we move into the heart of the National Football League season, and almost two months
after Kaepernick’s principled stand against police brutality and racial injustice, more than four
dozen NFL players from 13 professional football teams have sat, knelt, or raised fists during
the national anthem on game days. In addition, three teams have held hands or linked arms to
Like many African-Americans, I woke up on Nov. 10 in
Bruce Branch total shock and disbelief over the election of Donald J. Trump
as the 45th President of the United States. For many years, I
held the presidency as one of our most sacred offices where even if it weren’t true, there was
a presumption of high moral character and a level of integrity by the men whom served. Only
great men could become President. No others needed to apply. The America public wouldn’t
buy you. Just ask Gary Hart or Ben Carson.
Trump is no choirboy and after his election I have been faced with the arduous task, like
so many other fathers, of explaining to my 20-year-old son that this was an aberration. I have
been trying to explain to him how a man who had broken all the rules was now ruling the most
powerful nation in the world.
There haven’t been many times in life when I have been at a loss for words, but this one
has got me puzzled, disturbed and concerned about the future. Trump could ultimately turn
out better than our worst fears or he may disintegrate into our worst fear - the architect of a
total collapse of our nation and our democracy or even worse some kind of nuclear or racial
holocaust that sends us into a downward spiral from which we will never recover.
For years, I taught each of my children, but my son in particular, how it was important to be
honest in his business dealings, to be respectful of all cultures and to never denigrate women
or those who were less fortunate. It wouldn’t always turn out right and the world wouldn’t
always be fair, but in the end karma and his Christian values would triumph over hate and
moral turpitude. I promised him that Trump was playing too much on the fears of hate mongers
and offending too many people in major factions of his party to be allowed to win. I promised
my son that the Trump Train would derail and he would soon become a distant memory in
You’re excited, you’ve done your time and are trying to
Tarsha Weary get your life on track by applying for a life changing job. You
checked the mailbox and received a letter from an employer
stating, “Thank you for applying but at this time, we are going in a different direction. We wish
you the best in your future endeavors!”
What happened? Some employers can do a criminal background check further than the state
requirement of 5 years; and that’s why you didn’t get the job. How can you live the American
Dream if all you are ever allowed to earn is minimum wage?
You are not allowed to go back to college unless you have the funds to pay cash because the
law does not allow ex-offenders to take student loans, right? You have a GED but what career
choices do you have with that? You owe restitution and need to keep a job in order to remain on
parole or probation. It’s almost as if you are still in prison but able to walk around freely, or is
that your limited thinking because you don’t know what resources are available to you?
Yes, all of the above statements have some truth to them, but where are you hearing them
from? Are you still hanging around the same people with the same mind frame that got you
incarcerated for the first, second or third time?
How can an ex-offender start a successful business with all of these barriers? Here’s how:
1) You have to retool yourself. In every state; as a resident of any county; you are entitled to
a minimum of $3000-5000 to retool yourself. It’s not a loan, it’s a grant.
2) You visit your local Career One Stop and ask about their WIOA training dollars. WIOA
show their support and unity in the midst of the heightened racial discord currently wracking
our country.
And the list of those joining the movement continues to grow.
The anthem protests have spread beyond the NFL to include at least one entire high school
football team, members of marching bands, Howard University cheerleaders and more than a
dozen players from three WNBA teams who staged protests during the 2016 playoffs.
Perhaps just as significantly, protests staged during the anthem have occurred in at least 37
high schools, 17 colleges, and two youth leagues in more than 30 states across the United States.
Despite what critics say, Kaepernick is exercising his First Amendment right to freedom of
speech. He has a deep desire to make the United States live up to its creed of freedom, equality
and justice for all of its citizens, not just for a segment of the populace. It doesn’t matter
whether we agree with him or not. He is a man with a conscience and an awareness of what’s
going on around him. And he hasn’t allowed the millions he makes to cloud his judgement or to
deter him from standing up as an advocate for social justice and change.
George H. Lambert, Jr. is the president and CEO of the Greater Washington Urban League.
How Do I Explain Right Triumphs Over Wrong After Trump
American politics. Man, I turned out to be wrong.
Now I am left to explain to him why getting money at any cost doesn’t equate to a power
that will allow you to do anything you want to anyone you want in American society. I have to
admit that I have a herculean task in front of me and I am currently at a loss to come up with a
plausible reason why Trump is President other than the fact that our nation is even more divided
racially and economically than I ever imagined. The Obama race neutral society we have been
talking about for the past eight years doesn’t really exist. In some corners, I believe things have
even gotten worse as Whites have blamed Obama from everything from a lack of jobs to global
warming.
I have got to figure out a way to convince my son not to cheat on his college tests so he can
get better grades, take shortcuts when hard work is required and use the old “who you know”
rather than “what you now” philosophy to move forward in life. I also have to figure out a way
to keep him alive when dealing with the police and a large segment of racist White men who
have been embolden by the election of a man they believe represents their best interests.
I hope Trump can’t possibly be as bad as he pretends to be as a human being. By all
accounts, he is a good businessman even if he doesn’t always pay his contractors or fudges
here and there on deals. Maybe the presidency will change him more than he will change the
presidency. Maybe his oval office experience will move him to a new level of compassion for
the poor and the disenfranchised. Maybe, as he said in his own words, “I am going to be great
for the Blacks. Just wait and see!”
Bruce Branch is the founder and president of Branch Communications, a full service
business consulting and media development company in D.C.
How to Start a Successful Business as an Ex-Offender
stands for Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act.
3) If you are low-income, no income, ex-offender or non-ex-offender the state wants to help
you. The available funds vary. Career One Stop helps to provide you with resources you need to
earn a livable wage.
However, make sure that you use those WIOA dollars wisely. You are only entitled to one
lifetime grant. Once you use it, you can not apply again. You want to select something that stays
within the WIOA grant budget because taking a loan is not something you want to do when you
currently don’t have any extra money to give away.
People with blemished backgrounds can’t enter every career, they have to select wisely.
What are some good career choices that will accept ex-offenders? There are a lot of options that
are very lucrative. Here are a few choices to consider:
Web and Graphic Design
Heating and Cooling
Landscaping and Lawn Care
Cleaning Business
Web and graphic design are the easiest to learn and is potentially the most lucrative business
to start.
Don’t sleep on these resources, and I wish you the best.
Tarsha Weary is the president and CEO of SW Design School and the founder of
interns4hire.com, both based in Glen Burnie, Md.
The opinions on this page are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the AFRO. Send letters to:
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