You may have been hearing on the news about Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, sitting or kneeling during the national anthem at football games in which the San Francisco 49ers are playing. I want to talk about this as I think it is relevant to our work here at school—I want to make three points.

Kaepernick has been sitting or kneeling during the national anthem during this pre-game season as a form of protest against police brutality of African Americans. According to his press conferences, his intention is to raise awareness and dialogue about police brutality in the name of the United States; he intends to donate the first $1 million he earns this year to organizations working toward de-escalation practices among the police. He recently announced that he will donate all of the proceeds from the sales of his jerseys.

So, point number one: As a white woman, living with all of the privileges that the light complexion carries with it in the US, I realize that I have always felt somewhat emotional when the national anthem is played or sung at sporting events—it connects me with something larger to which I feel I belong. But as a white person seeking to be in partnership with people across difference, I empathize with Kaepernick’s point that there are clear patterns by race in who “belongs” in the US, who is taken care of by the government, and who is accepted for who they are. These patterns are not acceptable to Colin Kaepernick as a Black person, nor are they acceptable to me as a white person.

There are many people angry about Kaepernick’s actions. I am reminded of a famous quote from Dr. King about white people’s concern for order and harmony amidst tension in the civil rights movements. “I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” Protest is never going to be appealing and comfortable—the nature of protest is to disrupt and create dissonance. As a white woman, even if I don’t have the opportunity to sit or stand during the national anthem (not being a person who attends sporting events), what does it look like for me to actively participate in the pursuit of justice? In my case, it means ever-increasing consciousness and transparent naming of my whiteness to hopefully eliminate its oppressive effect on others, and courage to engage in conversations about whiteness, oppression, and biases, particularly with other white people. What does it look like for you?

Okay, point number two: I have been struck by Kaepernick’s communication with the press. He has held two lengthy discussions with the press in the past week in which he has laid out his arguments and evidence about police brutality the name of the US government. He clearly understands the implications of his actions and potential consequences. This what we want all of our students to be able to do! I want students to be capable of standing up for something in their communities or their lives, and in the face of questioning, doubting, or challenging, or simply to persuade, line up a series of arguments and evidence. I want them to be able to draw from historical events and perspectives, as Dr. King’s words were helpful to me in this situation, and how Colin Kaepernick is drawing on a history of athletes using their platform to protest. I want them to be able to speak passionately, straightforwardly, and confidently about their position.

I believe that our work in asking students to articulate positions and seek or state evidence that backs up their positions, our work in engaging student voice and dialogue in the classroom, our work to develop strong reading skills, our work in building students’ skills around critical analysis is all in service of being able to do what Colin Kaepernick is doing. For different students, the task may be a job interview or it may be a stand they take with a city or it may be a proposal they put together for their boss or it may be an op-ed article that they write for the newspaper or it may be an essay they write for a college class. In all of these tasks, they need strong literacy skills, critical analysis skills, and the confidence to face adversity.

Amidst the din of reactions to Kaepernick’s protest, here’s to his academic training and the educators that guided him to be persuasive in stating his positions. I want us to imagine each of our students defending their positions before a press conference with knowledge, code-switching communication skill, and confidence in their positions and in themselves—that’s what we’re striving for. As President Obama said about Kaepernick’s actions, “I’d rather have young people who are engaged in the argument and trying to think through how they can be part of our democratic process than people who are just sitting on the sidelines not paying attention at all.”

And point number three: Our students are aware of Kaepernick’s protest and many other athletes who are similarly protesting. I am talking about this today because we need to be practiced and open in engaging in dialogue with our students about how they perceive and feel about this. We may have sports teams that choose to protest by taking the knee for the national anthem. We may have students with a variety of opinions and perspectives, all of which are acceptable and welcome. The Common Core State Standards, balanced literacy, math talks—all of our curricula are intended to prepare students for this kind of dialogue and debate.

Please don’t shy away from it—embrace the complexity of being an educator in a diverse democracy. If you need help in any way thinking about how to talk with students and engage them in dialogue, please come talk to me—there’s nothing I’d rather talk about this week.