This Photo of MLK Kneeling Has New Power Amid the NFL Protests. Here ’s the Story Behind It

A photo of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other marchers for civil rights kneeling in prayer Selma, Alabama has gone viral in the wake of President Donald Trump’s ongoing criticism of professional athletes who kneel in protest during the National Anthem. The image, taken in 1965, shows King leading a prayer after a group of protesters were arrested during a march to the Dallas County Alabama courthouse. Around 250 people were arrested during the demonstration, which was part of a push to get African Americans in Selma registered to vote. Among those praying with King is Ralph Abernathy, a fellow minister and leader of the Civil Rights movement. The photo been shared by both the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and the civil rights leader’s youngest child, Bernice King, on social media. Many are "more dedicated to order than to justice," offended by kneeling during the Anthem & not by racism & modern-day lynching. #TakeAKnee pic.twitter.com/E23oM1ZW6X — The King Center (@TheKingCenter) September 23, 2017 The sports world’s kneeling controversy began last year, when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took a knee as the National Anthem was played before football games in protest of the unequal treatment that people of color face in the U.S. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick to...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized African Americans History Martin Luther King onetime protests Race Source Type: news