Kaepernick On Why He Didn’t Vote: “Can’t Vote Your Way Out of Oppression”

Eleven8 November 15, 2016 News Leave a comment

colin kaepernick

Early into Colin Kaepernick’s protest against the system, he made it pretty clear that he was not a fan of neither presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. However, come the day after election day, some were still surprised that he did not vote.

ESPN First Take host, Stephen A Smith, even slammed Kaepernick’s decision not to vote, calling him “irrelevant,” and a “flaming hypocrite.”

Smith said during First Take, “After all this noise that you made, even though you didn’t intended to do so, by offending our military service men and women, and pointing out about how you wanted to bring attention to racial injustices and beyond in this country, to turn around and not even take your behind to the polls to vote for a particular candidate, it is shameful! Absolutely shameful!”

Colin Kaepernick has since explained exactly why he did not vote, saying that it would have gone against everything he took a knee for.

“You know, I think it would be hypocritical of me to vote,” Kaepernick told reporters. “I said from the beginning I was against oppression, I was against the system of oppression. I’m not going to show support for that system. And to me, the oppressor isn’t going to allow you to vote your way out of your oppression.”

As a follow-up question Kaep was asked that if there was more of a sense of urgency with his cause now that Trump’s elected. “I think everybody should feel urgency, to make sure we’re doing the right thing, building things the right way, in order to be able to protect ourselves from the things that may come from this,” he said.

I see both sides in this scenario and though I can see why Stephen A Smith would be upset on the surface, I believe he shouldn’t be. Kaepernick made it pretty clear, early on, that he likely was not going to vote. We can’t act surprised when he stands by his word.

However, voting or not, Colin Kaepernick is putting his own dollars on the line for his people. He’s bringing awareness, he’s taking a stand, he’s donating the money he receives from his jersey sales and he goes into the community and gives back to the young black children there. He is still very much making a positive change. Unless Smith plans on joining him, he should give Kaep a break.