Though the backlash to Colin Kaepernick’s weekly national anthem protest has likely been stronger than the quarterback anticipated, it seems that the positive fallout from his actions has been grander than expected as well.
Some people have suggested that Kaepernick’s protest is misguided because it doesn’t come with specific goals or a course of action for bringing about change, but that’s not really the point. The QB has used his position as a public figure to call attention to a problem, spark conversation about it and shift the national consensus just a little bit in his direction. No football player is ever going to take down a web of racist systems single-handedly, but if enough people do their part to pressure the powers that be, eventually momentum builds for real change.
The Time cover is further evidence that Kaepernick’s protest has been about as successful as anyone could have dreamed.
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