Why Colin Kaepernick’s stand won’t change anything

Colin Kaepernick sat during the national anthem.

In our nation, that is your right. In Mozambique, during the civil war, students had to make decision of standing and saluting the flag, or running for their lives while bullets flew. Not standing at attention was against the law. Right or wrong, disrespectful or otherwise, this is not my problem.

My problem is the Mr. Kaepernick doesn’t give a realistic roadmap to engagement with the issues at hand. I have African American friends who have been discriminated against. The numbers are hard to argue with. I personally feel we need to address these problems in our society.

The leadership problem I have is when an ultimatum is given, or a stance is taken, solutions must be more concrete than “until things change.”

Exactly what “things” are we talking about? Exactly what kind of “change” are we talking about?

You see, as a leader and a recognized public personality, Mr. Kaepernick is at a unique place where he can be a positive advocate for change. In the business world, he would be held to some sort of accountability, something like SMART goals: Strategic, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time based . Read more here.

Sitting in protest without a pathway to change is manipulation. Vagueness keeps the power in your hands while places the blaming elsewhere.

So sit. Protest. That is the right many have fought and died for. Even disrespect. But while doing so, at least give an option for how to move forward. “Things” is too vague for a leader.