A thought provoking essay in the Washington Post by Race Imboden, a champion in fencing.
Three days ago in Lima, Peru, I stood at the top of an awards podium with my teammates and received a gold medal for fencing in the 2019 Pan American Games. The room wasn’t crowded, there weren’t all that many cameras flashing, and there certainly weren’t millions of fans tuned in to watch us from back home — I love my sport, but we fencers know we don’t draw the same audience as football, soccer, boxing or track and field.
But at the podium, my palms wet from nerves, when the “Star-Spangled Banner” began to play, I took a knee — following in the footsteps of Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe, Muhammad Ali, John Carlos and Tommie Smith: black, LGBT, female and Muslim athletes who chose to take a stand. I’m not a household name like those heroes, but as an athlete representing my country and, yes, as a privileged white man, I believe it is time to speak up for American values that my country seems to be losing sight of.
I’ve been honored to represent my country in international competition, and each time I hear our national anthem played, it’s a moment of personal pride. I love my country, full stop. When I look around, though, I see racial injustice, sexism, hate-inspired violence and scapegoating of immigrants. This isn’t new, but it feels like it’s getting worse, and after the mass killings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, I wanted to use that moment on the podium to send a message that things have to change.
And I believe that speaking up and demanding this change isn’t just the responsibility of women and minorities. It’s time that those of us privileged enough not to be personally targeted by this kind of hate, whether we’re athletes or not, start speaking out.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Amen, brother.
Really amazing guy. I also read an article he wrote a few years ago that called out the ridiculous rules of the NCAA. Good for him! He is trying to do something good, while also recognizing his privilege.
Quote: I’m thankful that my message was heard: “Racism, Gun Control, mistreatment of immigrants, and a president who spreads hate are at the top of a long list” of problems that need to be addressed….I spoke up, I hope, for the same reasons that athletes who’ve come before me did. I want my country to change…Even if we can’t fully identify with the challenges that minorities sometimes face, or haven’t experienced the kind of attacks that they’ve faced, we owe it to our country to use the privilege we have to fight for what is right.
What a beautiful message. There should be no supporting of racism, a continuing lack of strict but decent gun control, mistreatment of immigrants nor acceptance of a hate-filled racist president. You embody what is good in this country.
Thank you, Race Imboden.
Thanks for sharing this. I have a subscription to the Washington Post, but it is hard to keep up with all articles everyday. This young man gives me hope.
Kaepernick, Imboden and Rapinoe are 2019’s heroes.
In contrast, the long-standing greed of Charles and David Koch and their brother, Bill Gates, solidifies their position as right wing villains of more than two decades.
Kaepernick started his protest back in 2016 before it was cool.
Is your point that the efforts of Rapinoe and Imboden should be diminished because their visibility followed after Kaepernick’s or that Kaepernick’s efforts are superior because they preceded?
Or, is being critical an uncontrollable impulse.
Is your point that no one else should do what Kaepernick did because he was first and everyone else is a copycat?
Thanks for this post, Diane.
This country is still back in the Plantation model.
Beautiful statement — a hero
You have a heart and a soul, and like so many of us a belief that we are all part of the American tribe- “out of many came one” AMERICA!
The NYT deputy editor for Washington D.C. was demoted today.
His tweets (plural) were typical of the beltway where insiders like those in the media have normalized the bias against left wing politicians. In the incident that provoked the editor’s punishment, his disparagement demeaned The Squad and others, who have in common that they are not part of the American racial majority.
Brave, thoughtful, deep passion for social justice, he sets a wonderful example.
Gild’s being chipped off the lilly.
TMZ headline, “School That Got Millions from Bill Gates Sued Over Horrific Bullying Incident”, 9-13-2019.
Even if TMZ’ agenda is suspect at least Saint Bill is being seen in a different light, not his PR burnish.
The apparent cavalier attitude of the staff member who walked past the bullying without doing anything deserves review.