WAIMEA — Cushioned by yoga mats and other padding, nearly a dozen people of all ages joined North Hawaii Action Network (NHAN) members to kneel on the sidewalk along Mamalahoa Highway Saturday morning in the center of Waimea.
WAIMEA — Cushioned by yoga mats and other padding, nearly a dozen people of all ages joined North Hawaii Action Network (NHAN) members to kneel on the sidewalk along Mamalahoa Highway Saturday morning in the center of Waimea.
“We decided to take a knee in solidarity with NFL, WNBA and hundreds of other professional, amateur and young athletes, as well as others who are taking a knee or linking arms in response to an unjust system that marginalizes people of color and continues to let violence against people of color go unpunished,” Pablo Beimier said, NHAN’s leader.
“We want to ensure the true message that Colin Kaepernick and all others who have rightfully protested during the national anthem does not get lost in the distractive noises,” he continued. “This is not about the flag or the military or the president. This is about justice and equality for all, especially those who have little to no voice.”
Skip and Patty Ward, visiting from Northern California, were among those who participated.
“There are just so many issues to address and this is the latest,” Patty said. “I feel like we can’t just sit back on vacation or at home and ring her hands and saying it’s awful. We’ve got to get out and let people know how we feel and that this is unacceptable.”
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first kneeled during a pre-game national anthem in 2016 “to protest a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” he said. Earlier this week, more than 200 NFL players, coaches and team owners protested or showed unity by kneeling or linking arms before the games and elsewhere.
To join the effort, NHAN members and visitors held “Black Lives Matter” signs and others made by hand. The youngest participants were ninth grader Grace Hustace from Waimea and Arthur, a seven-year old, who wrote the same message in his own handwriting on his T-shirt.
Lakea Kaufman, from Waimea kneeled on behalf of others.
“I think it’s up to all of us to stand up for the people who are voiceless I have been systematically oppressed in our society,” she said. “A lot of people think, ‘why do black lives matter in Hawaii, where there is not a big black population as in the US mainland?’ But I think it’s up to the people who have the privilege, the time and the power to show up for people who may not have the same privileges today.”
Jonah Freedman, also from Waimea, had a similar sentiment.
“It’s something that I believe, and I wanted a chance to be able to actually do something about it or make some sort of statement,” he said.