Kate Upton became upset after dozens of NFL players followed in the footsteps of Colin Kaepernick during the NFL’s opening Sunday. The model used social media to express her frustrations at players who knelt during the national anthem. She also believed that the anniversary of 9/11 should have inspired the players to stand up for those who were affected by the terrorist attack.
“Sitting or kneeling down during the national anthem is a disgrace to those people who have served and currently serve our country,” Upton wrote on Instagram. “Sitting down during the national anthem on September 11 is even more horrific.”
Upton has the right to voice an opinion, but she should probably stay away from matters that she doesn’t fully understand.
She will never know what it feels like to be a Black person in a land that has a brutal history when it comes to racism. Upton mentioned the election of President Barack Obama as evidence that America is a place where,”anyone can become president.” But even with a Black family in the White House, Black people are still racially profiled and killed by police in alarming numbers.
According to Mapping Police Violence, over 100 unarmed Black people were killed by police in 2015. As a result, police killed unarmed Black people at a rate four times higher than Whites. In 2016, 165 Black people have been killed by police thus far.
Blacks have been victims of domestic terrorism in ways that totally neglect the principles of the U.S. Constitution. To take a knee during the national anthem is not a show of disrespect to the men and women who fight for this country. But the silent protest does shed light on the deeper issues when it comes to race.
Upton has yet to show vocal support for Black issues or speak against police brutality. While living in her celebrity bubble, she’s never experienced the pain and frustration of Black people. In turn, she should never tell a Black person how to respond to the racial injustices that are experienced by Blacks in America.
