
In the wake of Trump's insane/infantile Twitter rant regarding NFL players opting to take a knee during the national anthem in peaceful protest against the administration, more public figures have taken a stand by dropping to their knees in solidarity.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee joins the likes of John Legend and Stevie Wonder as the latest to make a powerful statement against Trump by kneeling, delivering a powerful speech about the First Ammendment on one knee from the house floor.
"There is no regulation that says that these young men cannot stand against the dishonoring of their mothers by you calling them, 'fire the son of a b,'" she said, quoting Trump's tweets about players who protested. "That is racism. You cannot deny it, you cannot run [from] it, and I kneel in honor of them."
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=144&v=JKhpYlLCRx4 expand=1]
She continued, down on one knee: "I kneel in front of the flag and on this floor. I kneel in honor of the First Amendment," she said. "I kneel because the flag is a symbol for freedom. I kneel because I'm going to stand against racism. I kneel because I will stand with those young men, and I'll stand with our soldiers, and I'll stand with America, because I kneel."
Jackson Lee later tweeted that she was proud of her actions.
Proud to kneel in defense of 1st Amendment. https://t.co/unFA2ZBeBb #KneeIsTaken @realDonaldTrump #TrumpRussia @HouseDemocrats— Sheila Jackson Lee (@Sheila Jackson Lee) 1506388128
Kneeling is a long-held tradition in the USA as a form of peaceful protest, something Jackson Lee's colleague, civil rights leader John Lewis, reminded us of in a series of tweets.
During another period, we knelt. There is nothing wrong with kneeling down to stand up against injustice. It’s prot… https://t.co/VJp9zWvmQp— John Lewis (@John Lewis) 1506367638
The young people kneeling today are following a long tradition. #TakeAKnee #goodtrouble https://t.co/kxZDMfrGF5— John Lewis (@John Lewis) 1506367724
Go off, queen.
[h/t Cosmopolitan]
Image via Youtube