One Mic

Nearing the conclusion of The Boondocks’ first season episode, “Return of the King” –after King’s vitriol– every African American NBA player refused to play, citing full troop withdrawal from Iraq as their demand. The possibility of that happening seemed a bit idealistic, and still does, but that scene comes to mind, along with the remembrances of Muhammed Ali, John Carlos, and Tommy Smith — folks who put it all on the line to honor their political belief — when I see Colin Kaepernick on bended knee.

Tomorrow, some of my folks are gathering for a Monday night football session at a local happy hour spot. I’ll be there — not because I give two damns about football or drinks. Naw. I wanna see my folks, but there’s somethin’ else I wanna see, too: Mr. Colin Kaepernick, walkin’ his spit.

Making this short and sweet is a bit difficult, in light of all the negative sentiments shared about CK’s act of defiance. I wanna keep this about my adoration of folks who use their voices to shout in favor of the greater good, of which Kaepernick is one. This post is dedicated to those who use their celebrity to address social ills, who use their exposure to reach greater masses. This post is dedicated to those who stand, or kneel, in the public eye, who use the world stage as their microphones.

Peace to Muhammed Ali. Peace to John Carlos. Peace to Tommy Smith. Peace to The Lynx and other WNBA players. Peace to Colin Kaepernick.

There were some folks I thought about addin’, but –honestly– those people are talkin’ heads, and while I don’t know what their strategies are, this post is dedicated to celebrities goin’ through (or who have gone through) the fire.

If I’ve left anyone out, let me know.

xKenisha

P.S., Please, don’t come at me with the light-skinned/dark-skinned thing.