Dear Black People…

Dear Black People,

I’ve just had a thought, what if instead of us (Black and Brown and some WHITE) people, who are out there holding rallies to protest the NFL for not hiring Kaepernick this season as punishment, for him taking a knee, during the playing of the national anthem, in protest of police brutality, racial discrimination, inequality and the simple yet complicated BLATANT disregard for Black people’s lives as a sign, as a help and not a hindrance?

What if he took his path as a boy, born to a single white female, who was impoverished unable to take care of him after being abandoned by his black father, put him up for adoption, given to White people of privilege, to be raised with advantages that some of us will never know, so that he could excel in baseball, basketball and football, only to become visible to us through hikes and touchdowns, playoff bids and who know what else, to actually take his place as a civil rights leader?

What if his rightful place belongs in front of the masses speaking about OUR TRUTH instead of winning Super Bowls? There’s just something within that tells me that WE are focused once again, on the wrong thing and maybe that’s why I don’t feel the need to stop watching my favorite sport but instead, to watch for what Kaepernick will do as a result of this amazing opportunity that has been placed before him.

I’ve never been one to follow the crowd but I have always been more opt to follow that “still small voice” and it hasn’t steered me wrong yet. I knew that I had to give words and thought to that which I have grappled with, ever since I have heard about this crusade against him and to understand why I agreed with his disdain but not his methods. It’s because I want him to bring precision and focus to OUR CAUSE and not distraction, there should be no room for misinterpretation but clarity, no blurred lines but CLARITY!!!

WE as Black and Brown people DO matter and we deserve for OUR cause, OUR plight, OUR story to be first and foremost in everyone’s mind. WE are not afterthoughts, OR collateral damage, pitying ourselves by telling “made up” stories that oppressors felt strong enough to oppress US but not strong enough to take responsibility for their outrageous and immoral behavior toward US!!! I DARE say, forget the football field Kap and take your rightful place beside Malcom and Martin!!!

Thank you to Chilltowntv (IG) for introducing me to the spoken work of Clint Smith who said, “That we have to stop telling people what they want to hear and tell them what they need to hear instead.”

Thanks for the inspiration and for giving me the courage to put my thoughts into words.

Sincerely,

C.K. McGhee 

Aka….purplediva72 (IG)