Colin Kaepernick may not totally understand who Betsy Ross is, Dr. Alveda King says
The niece of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. responded to the Nike “Betsy Ross flag” sneaker controversy involving former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, by questioning his historical knowledge of the American flag maker.
“I am not so sure brother Kaepernick even totally understands who Betsy Ross is,” Alveda King said in an interview with FOX Business’ Neil Cavuto on Wednesday. “It’s kind of unfortunate that we are fighting over sneakers when we should be celebrating living in the best country on the planet.”
Kaepernick reportedly influenced the sneaker giant to cancel the release of the Air Max 1 USA in celebration of the July Fourth holiday. The commemorative sneaker featured the American Revolution flag, commonly known as the Betsy Ross flag, with 13 white stars in a circle at the heel. The flag was created to represent the 13 original colonies in the 1770s.
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback raised concerns about what the flag represents and on Tuesday, Nike canceled the sneaker launch because of what the flag may symbolize to some people.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NKE | NIKE INC. | 79.09 | +0.72 | +0.92% |
King said she was reminded of her uncle who understood 50 years ago that conflicts should be resolved peacefully through education and the gathering of factual information.
“If you take a knee, do a prayer in the process,” she said. "You educate your public, you examine your own soul, you sit down and you talk.”
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Although she finds Nike’s Air Max 1 USA appealing, King said she finds the situation an unfortunate incident that created an opportunity to add to the divisiveness that’s occurring throughout the country.
“Unfortunately, Nike decided to join in a fight, in a struggle, that further divides rather than reconciles,” she said. “I think love always wins the day, but we have to get there.”