You probably won’t see any social media pics of NFL player-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick at Fourth of July barbecues. Kaepernick, who has been sidelined since he began kneeling during the national anthem at games to protest police brutality, went to Twitter to express his harsh sentiments about the U.S. independence day.
He posted: “Black ppl have been dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized + terrorized by America for centuries, & are expected to join your commemoration of “independence”, while you enslaved our ancestors. We reject your celebration of white supremacy & look forward to liberation for all,” BET reported.
The post was shared with a video of actor James Earl Jones reciting Frederick Douglass’s historic “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” speech.
“The video shows images of the Declaration of Independence, slaves, Ku Klux Klan members, lynchings and police brutality as Jones says, ‘Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?’” The Hill reported.
Kaepernick didn’t always feel this way about July Fourth celebrations. Back in 2011 and 2012, he was wishing people a happy independence day, according to past tweets that have resurfaced, Disrn reported.
In 2011, Kaepernick said, “Happy 4th of july everyone I hope everyone has a blessed day.”
In 2012 his message was, “Hope everyone has a blessed 4th, as for me I’m on that workout flow first.”
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 73: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin makes the case for why this is a multi-factor rebellion vs. just protests about George Floyd. He discusses the Democratic Party’s sneaky relationship with the police in cities and states under Dem control, and why Joe Biden is a cop and the Steve Jobs of mass incarceration.
But now Kaepernick’s using his platform to speak out against the national holiday.
Kaepernick’s most recent tweet came after he offered support for Minneapolis protesters, in which he declared he will cover legal fees for those incarcerated, Revolt reported.
