Colin Kaepernick, Unpaid Labor Contribution, and the History that Heals
Colin Kaepernick, Unpaid Labor Contribution, and the History that Heals
Colin Kaepernick's Protest Is Working That’s the headline of a recent article written by Josh Levin. He’s the executive director of Slate. The subtitle to the headline is “His quiet gesture was precision engineered to accomplish exactly what it’s accomplished.” Levin gives us a lot of evidence to prove his point. He points to the fact that some are saying, “Stand up and shut up Colin” and they are “standing” against him. He points to some that are saying keep “kneeling down and speaking up Colin” and they are “kneeling” with him. The most important evidence he gives is that people are talking about what Colin Kaepernick did. They are talking about what he is doing. They are talking about his protest against the oppression of Black Americans in our country. That makes his protest a success. Whether agreeing with or denouncing his behavior, Mr. Levin states it best, “Kaepernick has made his fellow Americans think about what they’re standing for, and why.”
On September 16, 2016, when we wrote about Mr. Kaepernick (Examining Kaepernick’s Legitimate and Personal Protest) we expressed a hope. Our hope was that his protest would move the national conversation about race towards reforming the nation’s mindset. Mindset describes the established set of attitudes held by someone. We said that knowing the central role of African Americans in the nation’s history going back to 1607 is important to changing the nation’s mindset today. We said that knowing that history would go a long way toward benefitting everyone. We said that when we know our national history we could all stand together.
Today we are more hopeful than ever. We are hopeful because historians all across the country are writing the history of Unpaid Labor Contribution. It’s the history that will help all Americans to understand where our mindset about race came from. It’s a mindset that divides us. We are hopeful because the history that will help all Americans to develop a new mindset about the Contribution of Unpaid Labor to the United States becoming the most successful nation in modern history is being written everyday. It is true, but most people haven’t known about it. It is important because it will lead to a mindset that will unite us. The history of Unpaid Labor Contribution is the history that heals. The history will lead to a new viewpoint. A new viewpoint will lead to a new mindset. A new mindset will lead to the healing the nation so desperately needs. Just as Colin Kaepernick began doing with one simple kneel down.
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