American is all a twitter (pun intended) over NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem before a football game.  So many think that the players are being disrespectful to the military, the flag, country, etc. That they are being “un-American.”

Take A Knee means we can do better as Americans.  In this case, we can do better about social justice in particular about how law enforcement treats blacks. There has been much evidence that justice isn’t always blind, and, therefore, #TakeAKnee is to bring attention to that issue so that we can do better as Americans.

NFL player, Eric Reid (no relation), was the first player to kneel with Colin Kaepernick in 2016. He did so to protest police brutality and was motivated by his faith. “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead,” he said in a New York Times interview.

American was founded on ideals– with an “L” about how we can do better.  “Liberty and justice for all”  “All men are created equal”  We didn’t implement these ideals well in the beginning.  We, eventually decided we can do better. So we abolished slavery because we decided we can do better and not enslave people for economic gain.  It took a civil war, but we did it. We eventually granted women the right to vote because we believed we can do better. It took protests and imprisonment and punishment, but we did it.

Civil rights, women’s rights, human rights… it’s not about taking away someone’s rights, it’s about we can do better about moving closer to living the ideals of the founding of our country.

We don’t  have leaders in DC, or in many houses of faith for that matter, who are willing to express thoughtful language that inspires us to do better. So it’s up to us, we the people, to be careful with each other.  Focus on what we have in common. Have compassion for each other. Remember, we don’t really know what others are experiencing and so let’s listen, connect, try…

We are the ones who can do better.