Cheerleaders should be praised for bravery
The Kennesaw State cheerleaders who knelt during the national anthem have more courage in their little fingers than all of their critics put together. This has nothing to do with disrespecting the national anthem. It has everything to do with a desperate attempt to wake people up to the injustices of racism in this country. These cheerleaders are more patriotic than their critics because they believe that the freedom and justice guaranteed by our Constitution is worth fighting for and not just something written on paper. Those who don’t understand this will only continue to cause more pain and suffering by their willful ignorance.
MICHAEL DE GIVE, DECATUR
Games not best place for protest
A letter-writer wishes us to understand the current display of “kneeling” (“Kneeling is not a sign of disrespect,” Readers Write, Oct. 17). We are to study and be aware of the problems of black Americans. At the same time, I received an urgent letter from our church’s relief agency, i. e., Lutheran World Relief. They are trying desperately to help families in the many raging disasters of our world. There’s the almost total wreckage of Puerto Rico and still-suffering Haiti. More than a thousand people die in India from monsoon flooding. Starving South Sudan is one of four countries on the brink of famine (as called by the U.N., the worst humanitarian crisis since their 1945 founding). Middle East conflicts have brought about destruction and unprecedented numbers of helpless refugees. The sheer number of people suffering in our world now seems overwhelming.
If the “kneelers” of our country wish to include the worldwide suffering of all people in their consideration, I might join them. But a football game does not seem the best place for contemplation .
CATHERINE BOONE SHEALY, ATLANTA
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