Mysonne, a rapper/activist who works tirelessly advocating for the #BlackLivesMatter movement, has penned an open letter to REVOLT commenting on the ongoing NFL protests, with the movement gaining momentum following Donald Trump’s divisive comments Friday.
Written by Mysonne
I want to thank Trump. I want to thank Trump for awakening the warriors. I want to thank him for exposing the true intent of this system! I want to thank him for exposing the underlined white supremacist objectives of the current status quo. Thank you, Trump, for forcing all those with a good moral conscious to stand up!
My forefathers died so that I may live. I’m sure I am a descendant of a field n—a, much like Rosa Parks who refused to succumb to slavery and who was willing to die in the pursuit of the “American Dream.”
When I look back at when I first saw Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf make his protest against the national anthem, I was too young to understand. He was one of my favorite basketball players because he could score and assist with the best of them. He was pretty much unstoppable when he began to protest the national anthem and next season he was gone. No one spoke about him or spoke up for him. He was just gone.
I didn’t understand until Colin Kaepernick picked up his torch and made his protest against the injustices Black and Brown people face under a flag that promises justice for all! This time I understand. This time I know that to be silent in this moment would be a sin!
As I watched the president make a speech, I visualized Willie Lynch when he addressed the slave owners hundreds of years ago. I understood the importance of this moment! I understood that every sacrifice our forefathers made has led us to this very moment. It is our turn to sacrifice and it is our time to push this nation a little closer to for filling it promises. As I write this at 3AM on Sunday, I pray that during each football game every player unites and sends a message to Trump. I pray that they all see opportunity in unifying this nation! I pray each player kneels in solidarity to show we are one. We are fearless and no amount of money or fame is more important than humanity!
I’m sorry, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, for not standing with you, for being too naive to fight for you, but this time will be different. Colin’s sacrifice won’t go unnoticed and I won’t sit back and allow a structure set in place to eliminate us to dismiss him and our issues. Trump, you can’t fire us because we are football! We are not only football, we are America!!
Trump may actually fulfill his promise. He may “Make America Great Again” by uniting people against him and everything he represents! The time is now Kings and Queens! We can’t be comfortable without true freedom in the land of the free and we must not be cowards in the home of the brave!!!
#IstandWitKap
Mysonne