SWAMPSCOTT — Swampscott and other North Shore residents gathered at the town’s veterans’ memorial on Wednesday to “take a knee.”
The Swampscott “take a knee” event was inspired by former Boston Celtics star Bill Russell, showing solidarity with the NFL and other athletes by kneeling wearing his presidential medal of freedom, according to Ralph Edwards, chairman of the Swampscott Democratic Town Committee.
The gesture was first used by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick more than a year ago during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in the country.
Edwards said through lack of familiarity with the Constitution, President Donald Trump decried and mischaracterized the protest as opposing the military and disrespecting the flag — Trump said that NFL players should be fired for kneeling during the national anthem.
In response to Trump’s comments, many NFL players have taken a knee during the national anthem.
“For several days, the general discussion focused on the who, when, where of a protest and the propriety of a president urging a boycott of a major industry,” Edwards said in an email. “The original reason for the protest was ignored. It is important to refocus the conversation on social justice issues rather than the ‘noise’ generated by racial provocations from Washington. These are conversations that every family, every community should have.”
Cathy Marie Michael said in a statement she came to ‘take a knee’ because “I may not be able to play on the field with these guys, but I can certainly kneel with them to support their commitment for social justice.
“This had nothing to do with disrespecting the flag,” she said in a statement. “Kneeling during the anthem is a wakeup call to the rest of us, in particular to those of us like myself who are white, to look around, look with open and compassionate eyes upon the social injustice that people of color face every day.”
