Minorities in the army open on N.F.L., Kaepernick and Nike

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On the eve of N.F.L. season, Nike has launched a new campaign starring Colin Kaepernick, the former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers at the center of ongoing league protests against police violence. The announcement relaunched the debate on the national anthem, with calls to boycott Nike on the grounds that the company was tacitly supporting demonstrations, described as non-patriotic and disrespectful to members of the service by critics, including the President Trump.

We wanted to know how service members and veterans felt about it, so Race / Related collaborated with At War, the New York Times Magazine channel that explores the experience and costs of war. Together, we contacted readers to get their point of view on the debate, asking them how their service and race influenced their opinions. We received more than 400 responses. Here are some points of view.

Wearing the uniform only protects me when it is turned on.

I am an African-American who has grown up being harassed by law enforcement and, to this day, is experiencing it, depending on where I am in office. Wearing the uniform only protects me when it is turned on.

– Uriah Hunter, US Army

Why do they receive a pass?

I am an American of Puerto Rican origin. Blacks are treated with less humanity by the authorities. When we committed, we took an oath to the Constitution and not a flag. The right to protest is one of the rights we protect. Some people who attend games do not stand at attention, take off their hats, stop eating and drinking during the anthem. Why do they receive a pass?

– John Garcia, US Navy

I was more likely to be killed by a policeman at my home than by the Taliban.

As a black man and former service member with two visits to Iraq and one in Afghanistan, the sad reality is that, statistically speaking, I was more likely to be killed by a police officer at his home in New York than by the Taliban or an army. fighter in a distant land. I separated and broke ties with former comrades with whom I went to war because of their reckless opinions about unarmed blacks who were falsely killed and their misinterpretation of the Kaepernick protest.

These men want complacency and silence, even though we struggled for and had friends who died for the right of citizens to speak freely against injustice and inequality. I realized that these same white comrades, even after sharing the service link, did not judge me and ultimately only valued me in the same way as their favorite black athletes: a commodity.

– Alec Gillis, US Army

They forgot the Tuskegee Airman.

I think when people say they do not kneel for the anthem, they forget all the black and brown service members who served. They forgot the Tuskegee Airman. When my dad served, the people he felt were his friends making jokes about how they hung him in their backyard when he came home from fighting alongside white soldiers.

– Autumn, daughter of the airman of Tuskegee

I am tired of a racially divided America.

I am originally from Mexico. I have been a victim of racial profiling by police and civilians. I believe that my experiences as "other" have affected my opinion on this issue. But I also support the right of American compatriots to demonstrate peacefully, regardless of their ethnicity. I am tired of a racially divided America. I am tired of having to worry about being attacked or profiled because of the color of my skin. I am tired that my American compatriots treat me and people who are like me as we are all "border jumpers", "murderers" or "rapists".

– Sarah Williams, US Navy

Those who do not support Kaepernick's right to protest are not patriots.

I am a black woman so I understand why Kaepernick protested. I am also a retired lieutenant-colonel. I have taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Kaepernick exercised his right of first amendment and I support him. There is no lack of respect for me, the flag or the national anthem, which I have sung at various functions during my years of service. Any soldier or veteran who does not support Kaepernick's right to protest is not a patriot.

– Marsha L. Aleem, US Air Force

People who exercise their freedom of speech need and deserve far more respect than the flag.

As an Asian, you hear things from both sides that they would not tell each other. As a Liberal soldier, it's the same thing. In addition, being a minority helps to understand the privileges, the justice system and various other aspects related to race in America. There are more important things than wondering if people are on their knees or not. The flag is a symbol, but people are the country. I think that people who exercise their freedom of speech need and deserve much more respect than the flag or an arbitrary ceremony.

– Baldwin Yen, US Army

He has already defended a white breeder in Hawaii who opposed positive discrimination.

He confirmed a South Carolina law that the Obama administration has declared depriving tens of thousands of minority voters of their rights.

In addition, he defended the behavior of a police officer who opened a man's jacket without his consent, believing that the officer had not violated the suspect's Fourth Amendment rights.

This week Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump's Supreme Court candidate, was confronted with all sorts of questions at a Senate confirmation hearing. But his record in civil rights has received relatively little attention.

A critic The report released last week by the NAACP's Defense and Education Fund examines Justice Kavanaugh's views and decisions on issues of racial and economic inequality. The analysis is based on a review "encompassing more than 300 written opinions, focused on constitutional and statutory issues".

What is that report on white supremacists Tell us about the white identity in America? We went live with writers Alan Feuer and Sabrina Tavernise, who discussed their stories and personal experiences. Make sure to participate in our live chats every Wednesday at 9 pm Eastern we're looking at race and culture related topics on the Times Facebook page.

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