On August 14, 2016, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem before a preseason game. Few people noticed at first. But after he had knelt again, someone finally asked why. On August 26 he explained: “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color.” Reactions were mixed: support and vitriol.
A version of this article appeared in the January–February 2021 issue of Harvard Business Review.