Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
The national anthem resounds across the stadium, notes suspended from end to end as fans rise, hats lift off and players still, hands over hearts, eyes skyward.
Colin Kaepernick descends to the ground. A 90 degree bend lowering his body to graze the sideline before his full weight settles on the left knee, elbow resting over the top, a slight lean forward. A noticeable dip in the line of players facing the flag.
Kaepernick is taking a stand. Maybe that’s the wrong word to use when he kneels.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media at the end of August.