In 2010, Kalief Browder, a seventeen-year-old Black boy from the Bronx was arrested during a stop-and-frisk for allegedly stealing a backpack containing valuables. Though the backpack was never found on Browder, he was detained at the local precinct and interrogated by police officers. After more than thirty-six hours, he was charged with robbery, grand larceny, and assault, and because he was found in violation of his probation from a previous youthful offense, he was not released from custody. When his family could not raise bail money, he was sent to Rikers Island to await trial.
What followed was an aberration…
Over the past week, New Orleans Saints quarterback and low-key racist Drew Brees has received widespread critique for his comments from a June 3rd interview with Yahoo. In this interview, Brees reminisced about his grandfathers who both served in WWII. He said “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States… Is everything right with our country right now? No, it is not. We still have a long way to go. But I think what you do by standing there and showing respect to the flag with your hand over your heart, is it shows unity.”
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Kate Slater
Anti-racist scholar and educator. White lady.
