National Anthem Protest By Team in Montgomery County: Peaceful Protest or Disrespect?

GAITHERSBURG, MD — A silent protest on race relations sparked by an NFL quarterback has spread to high school athletes in Montgomery County, where many of the players on the Watkins Mill High School football team have knelt during the playing of the National Anthem the past two weeks.

The actions by some of the Gaithersburg students prompted discussions last week at Damascus High School ahead of Friday’s game against Watkins Mill, school leaders said.

Those discussions included what the National Anthem means to different people and communities in the context of race relations in America, Damascus Principal Jennifer Webster, and overall have been thoughtful and respectful.

“At the football game Friday night, we represented Damascus well. I want to publicly thank our staff and parents for talking with students last week to help them learn from one another about the various perspectives represented in this event,” Webster wrote Sunday in a letter to parents.

Students have the right to take part in patriotic displays, or not, she said in a Sept. 14 letter to the community, citing Montgomery County Public Schools policy.

Most of the Watkins Mill High School football team knelt during the national anthem before Friday’s Damascus game, reports NBC Washington. There were no shouts or boos from the crowd during the protest.

"I choose to stand. I think there's a better platform to do it at, but I cannot as a human being, not as a coach or a teacher, judge my kids and tell them either they have to stand or kneel," Michael Brown, Watkins Mill High School's head coach, told NBC.

While many residents represent law enforcement, the military and the government and view the National Anthem as a moment of respect, “the student athletes who have chosen to kneel during the National Anthem have their own experiences with and perspectives on the current state of race relations in our nation,” Webster wrote.

(Read both letters to the community from Webster in full below.)

The action was first taken on the national level, by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who refused to stand for the national anthem during a preseason game in August over racial and social injustice in America.

He was the first to do so, and was heavily criticized for it. Since then, others in the NFL have followed in his footsteps. And the owner of the Washington Spirit pre-empted soccer star Megan Rapinoe’s stated plan to kneel during the national anthem earlier this month at a game at Maryland SoccerPlex. While the teams were still in the locker room, Spirit owner and Air Force veteran Bill Lynch ordered “The Star-Spangled Banner” to be played, reports The Washington Post.

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“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

The quarterback, who is biracial, was adopted and raised by a white family. He quotes Scottish movie producer Iain Smith on his Twitter profile, “Do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man.”

Letters from Damascus High School Principal Jennifer Webster:

National Anthem Protests Update to Community by Deb Eatock Belt on Scribd

An Open Letter to the Damascus Community - Sept. 14 by Deb Eatock Belt on Scribd