Ask anyone for two key facets of America and patriotism and football would rank highly.

Patriotism and football have clashed recently with the protest of kneeling during the national anthem at professional football games. Many players, owners, and cheerleaders kneeled to protest the racism and police brutality against African American citizens in America.

As a starting note, the U.S. Flag Code lists disrespectful actions towards the flag and anthem, including putting flags on clothes or laying them horizontally. The NFL does both of those things, and kneeling during the anthem is never mentioned.

To be completely clear, kneeling is a protest of racism in this country. Not our flag. Not our president. Not our troops. Colin Kaepernick, the first one to kneel, started his protest during the Obama presidency.

When asked about his possible disrespect, Kaepernick stated simply: “I have great respect for the men and women that have fought for this country. I have family, I have friends that have gone and fought for this country. And they fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone.”

Kaepernick didn’t even originally kneel at all. At the beginning Kaepernick simply sat during the anthem. This changed when fellow player —and army veteran— told him that sitting was disrespectful, but that soldiers kneel by the graves of their fallen comrades in respect.

Kaepernick promptly changed his manner of protest in order to show more respect.

This is not an issue of the flag, or the soldiers, or even respect, and calling it this is ignoring, willingly or otherwise, that there is a serious problem in our great nation that disproportionately affects our minority citizens. People who are angry with those who kneel seem to be more enraged by the thought of black “disrespect” than of black death.

These freedoms are prohibited from even Kaepernick, who managed to overcome his circumstances to become very successful. Opposers might claim that because he is successful he should be “grateful” or “protest on his own time.” I ask, does personal success negate the racism of an entire nation? Can a successful person not advocate for those less fortunate?

Kaepernick himself puts it that “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.” Kaepernick used his platform to speak out for fundamental human rights.

The purpose of a protest is to be heard and seen. Not many plan a protest in their basement, painting signs and whispering their rights. Kaepernick had the ability to peacefully reach millions, and so he did. People say that this is still not the right way, not the right time.

When is the right time? What is the right way? Marching in the streets is called a riot. Organizing Black Lives Matter creates cries for All Lives Matter. Surely simply kneeling, respecting the wishes of veterans, surely that’s enough?

There are only so many times that a person can say “No. Don’t protest this way.” before they must admit that they mean “No. Don’t protest at all.”

And if this is still not the right way, and there is one, then what is it? No one has offered one thus far, and no one seems likely to. So the players kneel, they lock arms, they raise a fist, and they try to make a difference in a world where Tamir Rice, a 12 year-old-boy, was killed. Philando Castille’s girlfriend and daughter witnessed his death. In 2015, almost 1,000 people died, and “a hugely disproportionate number — 3 in 5 — of those killed after exhibiting less threatening behavior were black or Hispanic.”

To be absolutely clear, I am not anti-police. I realize that the police have a hard and scary job, but once again, this isn’t a protest of all police. This is a protest of systemic racism that permeates the institution and undermines the honor of our respectable force.

There is no pretending that this is not a problem in America. A true citizen, one who truly loves their country, would be able to realize its flaws and move forward to try and make it a better place. America will never be the land of the free if all our citizens are not safe and equal. We still have rights that we need to fight for in America, just like the fight for freedom that inspired our glorious anthem.