Kaepernick was ‘practicing his freedom of speech’
Dorion Nora: “I don’t fight just for a flag. I fight for the people.”
When then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to take a knee during the playing of the National Anthem in August 2016, he said it was because of his views on the country’s treatment of racial minorities.
About a month after that action began stirring up lots of discussion on both sides of the issue, I ran into this young man at Bicentennial Park in Baytown. He told me of his service in the Army National Guard and shared his thoughts on the topic.
“I don’t take offense to that because he was practicing his freedom of speech. As a soldier, one of the things you protect is the right to protest. For someone to tell somebody else a better way to protest is just unnecessary.
“I understand the importance of the flag to people, but it means something a little different to each person. To me, it’s more of a symbol. I don’t fight just for a flag. I fight for the people. I fight for their freedom and for their rights.
“Two of my three drill sergeants were black. For me, that was motivating. Seeing somebody at that level who looks like you, you know there’s nothing stopping you from succeeding and reaching a position like that, too. That’s the kind of thing I fight for.”
— Dorion Nora
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