Texas State Students' Thoughts on National Anthem Protests

By Kayla Darensbourg
kmd130@txstate.edu

SAN MARCOS - Two Texas State students shared their views on the issue over the National Anthem protests.

Kendria Rhodes, a 21-year-old student from Dallas, Tx, described her understanding of the National Anthem protests as people were kneeling because the injustice of African Americans.

"My understanding is that there are many advocates within football, within political places, even students and normal, average-day people are taking a stand against the national anthem because they feel as African Americans we are not equal," Rhodes said. "Even though we are living in a country that says that we are. There is mass incarcerations of black people...there was also an argument about the national anthem, since people felt when the national anthem was made, black people were still enslaved. So how do we call ourselves a free country if that happened?"

"Honestly, I feel like we are given free reign." Rhodes said. "Everyone has a choice in life, and if that’s how he wanted to protest, even other people in the U.S. that want to protest in that way, I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with it because it’s not a violent protest. If he feels strongly about this cause, and it’s important to him, and I’m an African American woman and I feel like that cause is important too, even as a Christian we all equal and all loved by Jesus, and if that’s his way to take a stand and it’s not harming anybody then I’m okay with that."

When asked about how she feels about the NFL's response, Rhodes said she understood how some of the teams and associations were fighting people if they do kneel.

"I know a lot of people have been fined. It’s really weird because they are working for the NFL," Rhodes said. "If the NFL has its own rules, then it has its own rules and you can’t help that. But, at the same time, I feel like it impedes on those people and their right to protest what they believe. I don’t see the harm in [kneeling during the games]. I wish they would find an equal ground where the players would be able to have their voice heard and do what they wanted to do in a political statement, but it’s just an interesting thing."

Rhodes concluded how she would handle this situation with this:

"Let the people kneel if they wanted to kneel as long as they are not bringing violence," Rhodes said. "If someone is going to protest in a nonviolent way, I’m okay with that. Shushing people and fining them isn’t going to work because at the end of the day there is always going to be somebody that opposes against what you believe in. It's okay for them to have their voice, speak up and say I’m not okay with that"

Blake Tulloch, a 22-year old Geography major from Georgetown, Tx, also has much to say about his stance on the protests.

Tulloch's understanding of the National Anthem protests was that Colin Kaepernick was “protesting” the national anthem.

"Basically he was saying I don’t appreciate what’s going on in the world right now, so he took a knee and people started to get mad," Tulloch said. "Then more people started to do the knee thing, and then more people got mad."

Tulloch feels that Kaepernick took the right approach is his act of protest.

"That’s about the safest approach you could take without outwardly saying I don’t agree with anything that’s going on right now," Tulloch said. "I think what he did was extremely smart. If he wants to protest something, that’s probably one of the best ways to do it on national television."
Tulloch states his feelings about the NFL's response.

“The NFL is trying to stop people from protesting, by saying we don’t agree with any of these actions," Tulloch said. "So, I don’t like them trying to silence peoples’ protests. But you do need to understand that the NFL is a private corporation and not the government, and technically your first amendment rights are only for the government, so the NFL has the right to say we don’t agree with this. It's a two-edge sword really, where you can agree with what they’re protesting but you also need to understand the NFL is private corporation and they have their own rules."

Tulloch concludes that he would handle this situation by letting it "go the way it goes."

"I’d let people decide what they think about it," Tulloch said. "If people say this is a dumb protest, that’s not their decision to make. They don’t get to decide who can protest what. That’s not what the American Dream is about. It’s about believing what you believe and understanding that other people are going to believe different things"