Thousands across the country turn to look at NFL players like Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid,  lowering to one knee during the customary playing of the Star Spangled Banner instead of keeping their eyes on the flag.

These players are influencing other athletes, students and even whole marching bands with their demonstration against police brutality and the loss of pride in their country.

The direct reasoning behind the kneeling was the uproar of the Black Lives Matter movement this year, along with the even more recent killing of Keith Lamont Scott, a black man in Charlotte, N.C. However, the silent protest is based on a much bigger picture–it is  based on the oppression felt toward black people and people of color for centuries.

Though the reasoning behind the kneeling is justified, the act itself is one that resonates disrespect toward the country we all reside in. Though our country has been in wrong recently, for various reasons, it is something that has grown, and will continue to grow.

When the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, it promised the end of discrimination on the basis of  color, sex, religion or national origin.  It was meant to get rid of the idea of oppression and set equal liberties to all, but racism is still prominent in today’s society. The lowest people in this country have exploited their position in law enforcement and taken advantage of the color of their skin and going as far as physically harming others for theirs. These people cannot take the face of the entire country.

The act of kneeling during the Anthem was originally intended to be a more respectful toward the military, rather than the dismissive act of simply sitting, but it is still a bold outcry toward the flag. The flag itself stands for the exactly what many are claiming they do not have in this country; it stands for freedom and for the millions that have died to maintain that freedom.

Currently, the United States military has deployed over 1 million troops, and each soldier risks their life each day to protect the rights of every American, of every color. Issues in our country are not equivalent to the problems that countries without the military protection we have face daily, but our problems should also not be thrown aside.

Each problem that stains our country, like the killings of every unarmed black man, are problems that we together have to overcome in a way that does not seek to diminish the respect we have fought to maintain.