When Colin Kaepernick sat down on the bench at Levi’s Stadium for a period of 90 seconds during the National Anthem, few understood the significance of his actions and the different news cycles that would be filled covering his “controversial” and so-called “unpatriotic” actions along with the actions of those who followed suit.

While many are against the actions that Colin Kaepernick is undertaking, he is exercising his constitutional rights and doing all he can to raise awareness for issues that are important to him. While millions may hound him for his actions and say he is trying to just gain some attention after being relegated to sitting on the bench, in reality he is creating a platform that makes it possible and acceptable to discuss police brutality and the consequences it has in African-American communities. Despite the fact that people view Kaepernick’s action as insulting to the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who have died for our country, Kaepernick and those protesting are using the rights those very soldiers fought and died to protect. With Kaepernick’s protest spreading throughout the National Football League (NFL) and being taken up by those across a wide variety of sports and with the first Sunday of the NFL season falling on Sept. 11, any support of Kaepernick’s action was bound to create outrage and controversy. So it was no surprise that the four Miami Dolphins kneeling on Sept. 11 caused a massive reaction and created a divisive argument on both sides of the issue.

Although many are outraged, there is no logical reason for such vicious and ill-intentioned backlash. If you do not allow players or, anyone for that matter, to protest because you do not believe they should, when will they be allowed? Just because you disagree with the form of their protest or what they are protesting for does not mean that they do not have the right to protest. When you combine this with the fact that the media is portraying those protesting in a negative light and questioning their motive, it takes away the whole purpose and significance of everyone’s actions, which is to raise and spread awareness.

With the purpose of Kaepernick’s fight being lost in translation, it is important that those protesting do their best to focus attention on the institutions and actions that they are trying to protest. The flag of America, our great nation, is meant to represent the best of our republic so calling for our country to improve on itself and become better is not unpatriotic and insulting our nation when you have a major party presidential candidate who runs his platform by pointing out everything he views wrong with our nation. In a time of so much division and disagreement in America’s history we should all agree as a people that the issue being protested is more important than the form of protest when it is non-violent.

With all that is going on, the evil in this whole series of events, is the people who are unwilling to support Kaepernick’s right to protest and raise an issue that he believes is detrimental to our nation. No one is asking for them to join the protest or even agree with the cause he is protesting. It is just important that they understand the actions of every person protesting is not to disgrace or disrespect our nation, but an attempt to make it a nation that treats all of our citizens as equals and respect everyone’s rights, no matter what they believe in.