Fuck anyone who thinks it's ok to kill people mercilessly then lie to cover it up and get paid administrative leave but complain because a person doesn't want to stand for a song written by a man who supported slavery. I have a story to tell you... A memory that is very poignant and took 18 years for me to process and understand. There was a boy in my seventh grade class... I can't remember his name. But I do remember the teacher - Mr. Mondorf 😒 Every morning we stood for the pledge of allegiance and sang the national anthem (do they still do this in our elementary schools?) Anyway, Mondorf was a war vet and he stood tall and proud every morning saluting the flag. But on this morning, Brandon (his name JUST came to me) refused to put his hand on his heart. He didn't stand either. When Mondorf saw that, his pale face turned beet red. He yelled furiously at the brown skinned boy to stand up. He refused. I wasn't fond of Mondorf at all. He told me I would never get into Manhattan Center High School and maybe wouldn't go to college. He played favorites. When my friend's cousin was murdered on a Sunday and I went to school Monday with swollen eyes, he didn't care to wonder if I was ok. Instead we argued and I got kicked out of his class and sent to the Dean (who I get to see everyday now at my son's school 😁). Because of those things, I remember being ready to defend Brandon. However, he didn't need my help. "I SAID STAND UP BOY!" "No. Why should I stand up for something I don't believe in?" "THEN GET OUT OF MY CLASS!" Brandon did just that. He was unmoved by Mondorf's anger. He was upset that his right not to participate was being violated. That was in 1998... And here we are 18 years later. Here's to hoping one day I see Brandon again. He was my @kaepernick7 at 12 years old. And shout out to me being 🎓MCSM class of '04, 🎓BA - Purchase College '08, and MA -Lehman College '17 #BlackLivesMatter #BlackExcellence #BlackScholar #AboutToChangeEverything
