Results: Sign of Respect

Nate Boyer is a former United States Army Green Beret who had a stint in the NFL, playing for the Seattle Seahawks. During the preseason in 2016, he noticed the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sitting on the bench during the playing of the national anthem. He was curious about this and began a conversation with Kaepernick, who later discussed at length with Boyer social injustices and police brutality, especially directed towards people of color, and the efforts he was making to bring about change. Before this survey, were you familiar with Nate Boyer?

Boyer was sympathetic to Kaepernick's cause, but as a veteran also held the idea of respect for the flag very close to his heart. While sitting in a hotel lobby talking with Kaepernick, he came up with an idea. "Kneeling's never been in our history really seen as a disrespectful act. I mean, people kneel when they get knighted. You kneel to propose to your wife, and you take a knee to pray. And soldiers often take a knee in front of a fallen brother's grave to pay respects. So I thought, if anything, besides standing, that was the most respectful." Boyer said in an interview. Before this survey, had you thought about the many ways kneeling is used as a sign of respect?

Kaepernick agreed with Boyers idea and out of respect for soldiers began kneeling while the national anthem was being played, instead of just sitting on the bench. Boyers is quoted as saying "What I've fought for, what we all fought for - whether we like it or not, we can say we don't like it all day - but we took an oath to defend the Constitution. And I fought to defend our rights, which obviously include the first amendment, you know, which is free speech. And I don't have to agree with or even like what people do sometimes...I still fought for that. And it's what makes it very difficult, and it can be hurtful because it's just - you can say a protest or a campaign or you can say anything is about a specific idea. You can say, like, look. It's not about this. It's about this. I'm not - I don't hate America. I'm not disrespecting the flag. This is not about veterans. This is about people of color and the criminal justice system." Before this survey, did you know about the influence of Nate Boyer in Kaepernick's decision to kneel?

Colin Kaepernick has done more than just bring worldwide attention by kneeling. In 2018, he pledged and donated $1 million towards many different charities helping disadvantaged people...Meals on Wheels, Coalition For The Homeless, The Justice League NYC, The Advancement Project, Mothers Against Police Brutality, Youth Services Inc., Black Veterans For Social Justice, and the Black Youth Project just to name a few. His own personal project is the Know Your Rights Camp. Their mission is: To advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders. Before this survey, did you know about Kaepernick's philanthropy?