Philadelphia Eagles Complete Their Protest During The National Anthem
Malcolm Jenkins protested during the national anthem with other Philadelphia Eagles players. (Flickr/Keith Allison)
Philadelphia Eagles Complete Their Protest During The National Anthem
Chicago – As reported, Philadelphia Eagles players Steven Means, Malcolm Jenkins, and Ron Brooks did not sit or kneel for the national anthem, but they still used it as a moment to protest “social injustice.”
The Philadelphia Eagles players were seen standing and raising their fists, rather then placing their hand on their hearts during the national anthem. The gesture was popularized by the Black Panther party and is generally associated with black nationalism.
Eagles players protest during national anthem at Soldier Field https://t.co/xxTIRBkZH0 pic.twitter.com/nQJCHkdUYP
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) September 20, 2016
The players were on their feet, but rather than show respect for the flag, they made the national anthem a moment to protest.
Malcolm Jenkins stressed that “it’s not an anti-police thing,” but he acknowledged that it would be upsetting to people and they were using that anger against them to raise attention for their “cause.”
Jenkins told reporters, “That’s what makes you guys put these cameras in my face and that’s what keeps this conversation going. So sometimes you’ve got to rock the boat to get a little bit of change, and that’s fine, and obviously you’re seeing more and more guys using that platform to do just that.”
“I know somebody kneeling or doing something is not what’s going to create change. That’s really just drawing attention to it … to push those things to the forefront.”
Malcolm Jenkins has also said, “It’s also to unite the community. I’ve had conversations with the local police department about things that we can do in our communities to bridge those gaps. So this is a multi-level issue that you have to attack in different levels. … It’s not something that’s going to change overnight, but obviously the conversation is the first part.”
Jenkins also elaborated about what be believes his cause is about, “There’s just a lot of things systematically that have been set up in this country since its inception that really … put minorities, especially African Americans, at a disadvantage when you talk about quality of life and actually growing in this country. So we want to continue to keep that conversation going, push it to as many people as we can, obviously while also doing our part in bringing forth change.”
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