'United We Stand: Rally for Colin Kaepernick' Kicks off Action Campaign

"Colin Kaep, is under attack! What do we do? Stand up, fight back!"

In 2016, Kaepernick started making more headlines for his political activism rather than his ability to throw touchdown passes. Last season, during the height of the US Presidential election, Kaepernick continually took a knee during the national anthem in protest of the violence and injustice against people of color.

In an interview with the NFL, Kaepernick explained why he knelt during the national anthem. "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 he said. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Suddenly, the quarterback who led his team to the Super Bowl in 2013 became a controversial figure, and in March of this year became a free agent.

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The start of the NFL season begins on September 7 and Kaepernick still has not been signed. According to sports experts, a quarterback of Kaepernick's caliber would not normally remain in free agency for so long. Many feel that Kaepernick has been blackballed from the game because the NFL is essentially punishing him for taking a stand, on a divisive political subject -- especially when race relation tensions are high. There also seems to be a double standard for NFL athletes who have been arrested for actual crimes like domestic violence, unlawful gun possession, drug use and more that are currently signed to teams.

On Wednesday, August 23 the United We Stand Coalition organized a rally in solidarity with Kaepernick's cause, and to call out systems of racial oppression that the NFL continues to perpetuate. Kaepernick himself was not there, but several hundred people were in attendance. Also, members of the NAACP, the organizers of the Women's March, press secretary for former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and CNN political Commentator Symone Sanders and other social justice advocates who were at the event spoke about the coalition's demands.

Organizers continued to emphasize that the rally was not about "one man" or to rile up emotions with no results. At the rally, Sanders said the NAACP sent a letter to the NFL asking for a meeting, which the league declined. In the letter, NAACP interim President and CEO Derrick Johnson wrote, "No player should be victimized and discriminated against because of his exercise of free speech – to do so is in violation of his rights under the Constitution and the NFL's own regulations."

Members of the coalition had three actions to move their agenda forward.

First on the list was for NFL leadership to meet with them to discuss the unfair treatment of Kaepernick. They also demand that the NFL put in place a policy that would protect players from being penalized for engaging in political protest. Since Kaepernick started kneeling several other players have followed suit, including 12 players on the Cleveland Browns and one white player Seth DeValve.

Then coalition members also made the ask for supporters to reach out to telecommunications giant Verizon via phone or on social media with the hashtag #canyouhearmenow. The phone company is one of the largest financial contributors to the NFL, and in May paid the league $21 million to be the digital partner with livestream rights for just one game. The coalition gave the NFL and Verizon until Sept 7 to meet their demands or they would boycott the services of both brands and urge others to do the same.

In the crowd, people carried signs comparing Kaepernick to Muhammad Ali who was stripped of his title and blackballed from boxing in the '60s for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War. Speakers also drew comparisons to Tom Brady of the New England Patriots who was allowed to showcase his MAGA political leanings with impunity.

Reneging Jenkins, a 25-year-old public school math teacher in New York City, attended the rally to condemn the actions of the NFL and raise awareness for her organization Refusefascism.org. Jenkins was also at the rally in Charlottesville, VA and felt a moral obligation both then and at the United We Stand Rally to speak out against injustice.

"When one person is undergoing all this persecution for something that they are doing that is the right thing to do— to stand up against white supremacy, to stand up against police brutality— when you see someone being targeted for that, you have to stand up for them," Jenkins told VICE Impact.

Critics of Kaepernick say that the actions of the NFL aren't political, but Rally organizers pointed out that the NFL owners along with other corporate leaders and billionaires, donated more than $107 million dollars for President Trump's inauguration. Several protesters at the rally drew connections between the Kaepernick's kneeling and the league's ties with the current administration.

"We're here with 'Drive Out Trump and Pence' [signs] but this is directly correlated with what's going on," Jenkins said. "We have a president that just gave a speech about how cops need to not be too nice to their suspects, basically openly encouraging police brutality."

Across the street from the Kaepernick rally were a handful of blue lives matter counter-protesters and Trump supporters. Rally organizers were also quick to clarify that their fight was not against individual police, some of whom have supported Kaepernick. Their goal was to target the systems of inequality that disproportionately affect people of color.

If you want to support the United We Stand Coalition in their fight to defend the rights of Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players who choose to engage in political protests, then join them in their call to action. Tweet at Verizon, an NFL digital partner, with the hashtag #canyouhearmenow to hold the league accountable for their treatment of Kaepernick and all people of color.

Or show your solidarity with Kaepernick by supporting his charitable causes such as the organizations from his Million Dollar Pledge and the Know Your Rights camp.