Last season in Nation Football League, football player Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem , instead of the traditional standing with your right hand over your heart. Kaepernick took this position in support of the Black Live Matter Movement.

“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 stated in an exclusive interview with NFL Media. He explains that to him

“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.”

This season in the NFL we are seeing many more protests. Whole teams, coaches, cheerleaders, and even some singers singing the National Anthem are taking a knee.

There has been a lot of opinions and debate on the protest, it is becoming more and more of a political topic. Donald Trump expressed his feelings of disapproval but what do North High Students think about taking a knee?

“He went about it in a childish way,” Emma Roling, a junior at North High says in response to Trump. “It’s not about disrespecting the flag; it’s about standing up for our rights,” (Roling) Emma strongly believes that this is an effective way to protest, and not harmful. ”

“Would you rather have them rioting the streets?” (Roling) This is a good way to protest because “when you can get a bunch of people together for one cause, it’s more powerful.”(Roling)

Dylan Ungar, a sophomore at North High is all for the kneeling “because people should be able to do what they want with no judgement.” Roling thinks that those who kneel and those who stand are not wrong, it is just a difference of opinion.

“Those who stand are practicing their right to pledge just like those who kneel are practicing their right of freedom of speech.”(Roling)

“Taking a knee is not disrespectful, wearing the flag is disrespectful and people do that.” (Roling)

However some people disagree and think that “it’s very disrespectful” says an anonymous source, that wishes to stay quiet because this is such a strong opinionated topic.

The source believes that there is a better alternative “anything that doesn’t disregard the country, it’s flag, and it’s anthem.”

Some fans that disagree with the kneeling during the Anthem are “booing” the team members on the field. The source says “I think it’s disrespectful to boo the team during the Anthem because that is just as bad.”

MacGyver Lincoln, a sophomore at North, who is also against kneeling during the National Anthem says “it shows a lack of unit, we should be one, and division is not unity.” He believes that we should have equal rights but it should be protested in a way that doesn’t disrespect the flag.

Overall fans, politicians, and just everyone in general have very strong different opinions about the kneeling in regard to whether it is disrespectful or not. It seems as though the real message behind the protest, about equal rights is getting lost.