Over a year ago, a small yet incredibly meaningful protest went unnoticed — but this lack of recognition did not last long. Colin Kaepernick, a former NFL player for the Forty-Niners, sat down during the National Anthem in pregame on August 14th, 2016. Kaepernick’s protest was not meaningless, or for petty reasons (as some people have suggested). He told NFL.com,  “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”  I think that this is an amazing gesture and a perfect way to protest the horrific killings of people of color, specifically black people of color, by the police.

A lot of the controversy surrounding Kaepernick’s protest has been around the “protesting of the flag” — they have been saying that his protest has been disrespecting veterans and the military. However, Kaepernick did not mean this protest to disrespect veterans or anyone in any way. This action was meant to solely spread awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement and awareness for and those affected by the wrongful police brutality, as well as their families.

If anyone is offended by this protest, they should understand that kneeling during the national anthem is not meant to disrespect veterans or anyone fighting for the United States of America. Anyone who has fought or is fighting for the US fights for freedom and those who are kneeling are fighting for freedom as well.

More NFL athletes have begun to kneel in the same way as Kaepernick, partially in response to Trump tweeting and saying that athletes should be fired for protesting. This has inspired more and more high schools and football players all over to kneel during the anthem.

Kneeling has now become about more than raising awareness about police brutality —  those who kneel are sometimes doing so for their own reasons. With that in mind, the main reason and the reason one should assume people are kneeling for is Black Lives Matter. Some protesters might be kneeling against Donald Trump, but that should not be assumed.

This is an amazing way to silently, peacefully, and respectfully protest the wrongful convictions and murders of innocent people all over our country. It is not a protest against the flag, against our military, or to disrespect anybody. It’s crucial to remember that the people kneeling are kneeling for the lives of others, and to recognize that some people in our country are not treated as equal.