MLK's Niece Is Not Sure Kaepernick 'Understands Who Betsy Ross Is'
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick made national headlines this week for his opposition to Nike’s latest shoes that featured the “Betsy Ross flag.”
However, Dr. Alveda King — the outspoken niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. — wasn’t ready to let Kaepernick get away with pulling the race card against Betsy Ross and the 1777 flag that represented the 13 original American colonies.
On Friday, during a Fox Business interview with Neil Cavuto, King said she was unsure if Kaepernick “even totally understands who Betsy Ross is,” stating that Nike “should be celebrating living in the best country on the planet.”
“I’m reminded of my dad, Rev. A.D. King, my granddaddy Martin Luther King, Sr., and my uncle Martin Luther King, Jr., who said, ‘Solve conflicts peacefully. If you take a knee, do a prayer in the process,’” King said.
“So I think that we are skipping some of these steps. You get your information, you educate your public, you examine your own soul, you sit down and you talk. If it doesn’t work, have peaceful demonstrations and then do win-win reconciliations.”
But as we now know, Nike didn’t take that approach, whatsoever. Instead of digging deeper into the meaning of the flag and Ross’ celebrated history, it executed a knee-jerk reaction because social justice warrior Kaepernick said it was racist.
In a statement to Conservative Tribune, a section of The Western Journal, a spokesperson for Nike said, “NIKE made the decision to halt distribution of the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July based on concerns that it could unintentionally offend and detract from the nation’s patriotic holiday.”
King said Kaepernick made a blind leap with “no facts, no information” before he demanded the sneakers be pulled.
“So, I think it’s kind of unfortunate that we’re fighting over sneakers when we should be celebrating living in the best country on the planet,” King added. “And I think it was just an unfortunate choice, actually, Neil.”
Let’s be honest, those shoes were awesome and full of patriotic symbolism. Combine that with a July Fourth release date and I bet the company would have sold a record number of them, including a pair to me.
You can watch King explain her thoughts on the absurd decision in the video below.
In addition to King, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz called Kaepernick out for the fake news he’s been posting on his Twitter account concerning his thoughts on the shoe and the situation.
On Thursday, Kaepernick tweeted a Frederick Douglass quote in an attempt to slam America on Independence Day, which read, “What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? This Fourth of July is yours, not mine…There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.”
“What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? This Fourth of July is yours, not mine…There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of these United States at this very hour.”
– Frederick Douglass pic.twitter.com/IWLujGCJHn— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) July 4, 2019
But Cruz, who’s obviously versed in American history, swiftly crushed him in a tweet of his own, saying Kaepernick quoted “a mighty and historic speech by the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass” and that “without context, many modern readers will misunderstand.”
He made two fantastic points before wrapping up with the actual ending of Douglass’ speech.
“This speech was given in 1852, before the Civil War, when the abomination of slavery still existed,” Cruz wrote, noting that Douglass and others helped defeat the practice of slavery.
“Douglass was not anti-American; he was, rightly and passionately, anti-slavery,” before providing the mic-drop conclusion from the end of the abolitionist’s speech that made Kaepernick look even more ridiculous.
Here’s an excerpt from the end of Douglass’ speech.
“Allow me to say, in conclusion, notwithstanding the dark picture I have this day presented, of the state of the nation, I do not despair of this country.
“There are forces in operation, which must inevitably, work the downfall of slavery. ‘The arm of the Lord is not shortened,’ and the doom of slavery is certain.
“I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. While drawing encouragement from ‘the Declaration of Independence,’ the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age.”
Cruz then reminded Americans, especially those who were misinformed by the washed-up former football player, to do their research and get the entire story — not just cherry-picked quotes that fail to deliver the full context.
Let me encourage everyone, READ THE ENTIRE SPEECH; it is powerful, inspirational, and historically important in bending the arc of history towards justice: https://t.co/il9WNrmxho
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 5, 2019
Not only does Kaepernick seem to be clueless as far as Betsy Ross and the flag with 13 stars is concerned, he completely mischaracterized the great Frederick Douglass.
For a man who tends to live in the past, he should probably do himself a huge favor and brush up on high-school level history before he humiliates himself even further.
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