Gray Matters
Taking a Knee versus Bending the Knee
In 2016 Colin Kaepernick and his teammate, Eric Reid, each took a knee during the national anthem to call attention to issues of racial inequality and police brutality. As Reid later wrote:
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….It should go without saying that I love my country and I’m proud to be an American. But, to quote James Baldwin, “exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”[1]Taking a knee, bending one knee to the ground while the other remains strong and firm, is a sign of strength, a reflection of core values ,a potent use of voice.
In 2024 ABC bent the knee, settling a frivolous lawsuit brought by Donald Trump by paying $1 million in legal fees and making a $15 million dollar donation to the Trump Library. Jeff Bezos bent the knee, quashing a Washington Post endorsement of Kamala Harris. Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, along with other tech bros, together bent the knee, making donations and celebrating Trump’s inauguration. Each of these people or entities, for their own reasons, bent both knees to the ground in supplication.
In his book, On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder writes about the importance of not obeying an authoritarian in advance. We are being assaulted, attack after attack the current administration is working to weaken our country and destroy our democracy. It is important not get distracted by the outrageous actions designed to catch our attention and scare us into submission. We must stay focused on the blows that strike at our core and are designed to weaken us. And it is difficult to determine which is which.
I find it helpful to look to those who have the depth of experience and the historic vantage point that I lack. I start my days with Heather Cox Richardson Letters from an American and Joyce Vance’s Civil Discourse. I always look to and support Marc Elias’ Democracy Docket and the Meiselas brothers and Michael Popok of Meidas Touch Network are among our news sources. Sometimes the reading becomes overwhelming, so I take a break, then think about what I have heard and try to distill it.
So, what can each of us do? Take action that works for you. That means working politically – contacting your congressmen and telling them what you think of their actions or inaction. It means volunteering for a cause that speaks to you. It means using your talents and gifts to create music or create art. It means focusing your energy to develop research that supports people who struggle. It means building a business, supporting a workforce, supporting your community. Whatever you do, do it with your heart. Know that your work, your voice is important. By being strong you strengthen each of us.
The following phrase has been attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, and it is something we should all take to heart.
I think it is the effort of a person who feels superior to make someone else feel inferior. First, though, you have to find someone who can be made to feel inferior.Heads up and Hearts Forward,
Gray Matters
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/opinion/colin-kaepernick-football-protests.html
So inspirational