THREAD:

A few years ago, I spoke up against @Kaepernick7 kneeling during the National Anthem. While it’s still not what I’d *personally* do, I want to apologize for being so ignorant about the issue of racism in its entirety—all these years later.

I grew up in the heart of Wisconsin, but was still raised on equality & respect for everyone. For me, I couldn’t fathom the fact that racism could still exist in the U.S. So, I simply refused to believe it existed. And I went on social media and tried to disprove the possibility.

This included frequent critiques of Colin Kaepernick for being “anti-American” and “ignorant” for his kneeling protest, among other things. However, what I didn’t realize at the time was how correct and understandable his sentiments were. And how wrong I was.

At the end of the day, I had no idea what Kaepernick or any person from minority communities were going through.

How could I—a white person—put myself in their shoes without having any idea of what it’s like? And why should I judge the way they voiced the injustice & pain felt?

I’m white. I don’t know what it’s like to be black (or any other race). I’m also male. I’m privileged based on those realities. That’s hard to realize when you want the world around you to be fair towards others. It makes you want to think racism ceases to exist.

I grew up in a privileged, predominantly white area. I didn’t know what blacks went through every day. I still don’t know and never truly will. But I have a better idea, and it makes my blood boil. Especially after the past few weeks.

As such, I urge those who don’t want racism to exist, but ultimately believe it doesn’t exist, to *listen* to minority communities instead of trying to defend a false reality. I was in your shoes once and I understand. But we must do better.

We’ve made a lot of amazing improvements in this country to combat racism. But as a population, we can all do better at *listening* to minorities about the mistreatment they face instead of pretending it doesn’t exist. It still does—and it will take all of us to eradicate it.

Ultimately, I want to say I’m sorry to those in minority communities. My ignorance stemmed from a lack of understanding (that I’ll always have), as well as the hope that the world is more equitable than it actually is.

You can count on me to be an advocate & ally moving forward.