Taking a knee during the national anthem is a form of protest with the purpose of drawing attention to ongoing police brutality directed toward African Americans. Most notably former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, chose to take a knee during the anthem beginning in 2016. Prior to kneeling, Kaepernick had sat quietly on the bench during the anthem, but after discussion with retired Green Beret, Nate Boyer, decided kneeling would strike a better balance between both respect and protest. Eric Reid, safety and at-the-time teammate of Kaepernick, noted of their posture of choice: “We chose to kneel because it's a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy."
Since first taking a knee in 2016, athletes and teams at all levels of competition and in multiple sports have followed Kaepernick and Reid's lead in taking a knee during the national anthem to bring attention to racial injustice and police brutality.
Per a policy enacted in 2018 "‘All students enrolled at Bluefield College have the right to exercise free speech [and] At the same time, students should adhere to the core values of this institution and respect the differences in opinions, views and personalities that comprise this institution of higher learning. We must not interrupt, abuse or hinder the process of exercising free expression.’" Read the full press release from the college here. As alumni, we are simply asking the college to adhere to their own policy and honor the rights of the men's basketball team to protest.
Since first taking a knee in 2016, athletes and teams at all levels of competition and in multiple sports have followed Kaepernick and Reid's lead in taking a knee during the national anthem to bring attention to racial injustice and police brutality.
Per a policy enacted in 2018 "‘All students enrolled at Bluefield College have the right to exercise free speech [and] At the same time, students should adhere to the core values of this institution and respect the differences in opinions, views and personalities that comprise this institution of higher learning. We must not interrupt, abuse or hinder the process of exercising free expression.’" Read the full press release from the college here. As alumni, we are simply asking the college to adhere to their own policy and honor the rights of the men's basketball team to protest.