PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A national movement went local on Friday night when a group of Lincoln students took a stand for what they believed in by taking a knee during the national anthem.
“It’s just been kind of escalating,” Sophia Wilson, a senior at Lincoln, said. “It’s cool to see so many people supporting us and kneeling with us.”
The movement started during last football season when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started taking a knee during the anthem to protest.
“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 in Aug. 2016. “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.”
The protests have continued, spreading all over the NFL and now into the college and high school ranks.
On Friday, it happened at the Lincoln vs. Wilson game. Over 60 Lincoln students joined together to take a knee for the anthem. Some parents KOIN 6 News spoke to approved the right for students to express themselves.
“It’s fabulous,” said Kathleen Bald. “I think kids should be learning to think for themselves and stand up for what they believe in.”