The Kennesaw State University community in Georgia is having a divisive debate after five football cheerleaders kneeling during the national anthem on Sept. 30, in solidarity with NFL players who are bringing awareness to racial injustice.
According to The New York Times, cheerleaders at Howard University began kneeling during the anthem since September 2016, when quarter Colin Kaepernick launched his controversial protest. Unlike the Kennesaw cheerleaders, there’s been no drama at the historically Black institution.


Marc C. Littlejohn @marclittlejohn
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10:07 AM - Oct 15, 2017

The Howard University cheerleaders kneeling during “The Star-Spangled Banner” before a home football game against North Carolina Central University on Oct. 7. The squad’s ritual of taking a knee during the anthem began last year.

Howard Cheerleaders Add Voices to the Anthem Debate by Taking a Knee

The cheerleaders at Howard, a historically black university, kneel during the national anthem before football games. Players don’t get the chance.
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In fact, since the 1980s Howard University has played the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” at home games immediately before “The Star-Spangled Banner.” As The Times also noted, it’s not unusual to see raised fists in the crowd and on the field during the Black national anthem—which predates the national anthem.
“I think about liberty and justice for all, and how it’s not being executed in our country right now,” cheerleader squad captain Sydney Stallworth told The Times, reflecting on the national anthem.
Stallworth added that she feels “lucky” to be enrolled at an HBCU where she has a platform to express her views about racism and inequality.
Meanwhile, at Kennesaw State University, the turmoil continues. According to the AJC, Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren expressed his disapproval with the university’s president, Sam Olens. After Warren weighed in, the university’s athletic department stopped allowing the cheerleaders on the field during the anthem.


MDJ Online @mdjonline
Protesters support  cheerleaders who kneeled during national anthem  http://www.mdjonline.com/news/protesters-support-kennesaw-state-university-cheerleaders-who-kneeled-during-national/article_c6e19f5e-afcf-11e7-a267-bb1a0c61e3d6.html#utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social …
6:07 AM - Oct 13, 2017

Photo published for Protesters support Kennesaw State University cheerleaders who kneeled during national anthem

Protesters support Kennesaw State University cheerleaders who kneeled during national anthem

KENNESAW — As contention builds over five Kennesaw State University cheerleaders who kneeled during the national anthem at a football game on Sept. 30, about two dozen supporters gathered near
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Not everyone at Howard agrees with the anthem protest, but disapproval is muted.
Howard’s cheerleaders coach, Demarco Brooks, told The Times that kneeling during the anthem would not be his “first choice” to protest racial injustice. However, he’s respects the cheerleaders’ rights.
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