Activists and civil rights organizations are planning to rally in front of the National Football League’s headquarters Wednesday in support of Colin Kaepernick as he struggles to get signed to another football team.
Groups behind the event, like NAACP, the Justice League NYC and the Color for Change are expecting about 2,000 people to participate in the “United We Stand: Rally For Colin Kaepernick” event to “further illuminate” Kaepernick’s struggle, an event organizer told The Daily Caller News Foundation.
“The purpose of the rally is to further illuminate and draw attention to the cause, which prompted Mr. Kaepernick to take his knee, and further call on the NFL to protect players’ right to freedom of speech,” Anthony Davis, an organizer and speaker at the rally, told TheDCNF.
Wednesday. August 23rd. 5pm. NYC. Show up. Stand up for what's right like @Kaepernick7 did. #IStandWithKaepernick #UnitedWeStand pic.twitter.com/7aUgmAVpNx
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) August 22, 2017
Kaepernick has yet to be signed to another NFL team after he kneeled during the anthem in protest of America’s oppression of black people while playing for the San Francisco 49ers.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media last September. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.”
The event will also feature speakers like Tamika Mallory, a Women’s March organizer, Pastor Jamal Byrant, NYC’s NAACP state conference president Hazel Dukes, and Stephen Green with the The Peoples Consortium.
“The speakers will be focused primarily on the topics of police brutality, the need for criminal justice reform, and why athletes, entertainers, etc. should be able to use their first amendment rights without being vilified or discriminated upon in the hiring process,” Davis told TheDCNF.
The NFL did not return The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment in time for publication.
[contentcards url=”http://dailycaller.com/2017/08/22/activist-groups-rally-to-support-kaepernick-over-exile-from-nfl/” target=”_blank”]Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].