Social media erupted over the weekend when Vice President Mike Pence walked out of an Indianapolis Colts-San Francisco 49ers game after a few players took a knee during the National Anthem. Donald Trump took to Twitter on Sunday (October 8) to announce it was his decision to have Pence leave if “any players kneeled, disrespecting our country.”
Pence also tweeted on Sunday and clarified his actions, writing, “I left today’s Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag or our National Anthem.”
The gesture, which was popularized by former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick after he kneeled during the National Anthem in protest, has taken on a life of its own. Countless athletes and everyday citizens have taken part in the peaceful protest in an effort to bring awareness to racial injustice and the staggering number of black Americans being killed at the hands of police. The intention behind the gesture has nothing to do with disrespecting the United States’ flag.
Kaepernick found himself the target of fake news over the weekend as well. CBS Sports ran a report claiming Kaepernick would stand for the National Anthem if he was offered another job with the NFL.
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After his alleged comments went viral, Kaepernick used a quote from Winston S. Churchill to address the misinformation.
“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on,” he wrote.
CBS was forced to walk back its original report after the writer responsible for the piece, Jason La Canfora, admitted he and Kap never discussed the issue.
Of course, several members of the Hip Hop community headed to social media to voice their thoughts on the Kap fiasco and Pence’s shenanigans, further evidence of Hip Hop’s storied history of rebelling against the status quo.
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Killer Mike, Open Mike Eagle, El-P, and Evidence, among others chimed in, while The Breakfast Club deemed him “Donkey of the Day.”
