Justine Skye Takes A Knee While Singing The National Anthem During Nets Game
If Justine Skye was commissioned to sing the “Star-Spangled Banner,” she was going to send a resounding message throughout the arena along with her voice.
During the home opener for the Brooklyn Nets on Friday evening (Oct. 20), the fellow Brooklynite decided to take a knee while singing the national anthem at the Barclays Center, a gesture that she says was necessary in order to continue the protest against racial injustice and police brutality.
“Got a bit shaky at the end.. was pretty uneasy about singing the anthem and probably won’t ever be invited to sing it again but I had to take a knee for the opening game in my city and let my voice be heard,” the budding singer wrote on her IG account. “We will not be silenced #blacklivesmatter.”
According to ABC News, a spokeswoman for the Nets said the franchise was not briefed on Skye’s future actions. “We recognize that tonight’s national anthem singer kneeled briefly at the end of her performance and we were not aware that she was going to do so,” the statement reads.
A post shared by The Purple Unicorn (@justineskye) on Oct 20, 2017 at 5:08pm PDT
Protests of the United States’ rallying cry have been ongoing since 2016 by way of Colin Kaepernick. The free agent quarterback, who has yet to land a spot on a team this season, consistently took a knee each game day following a string of unjustified deaths of black and brown civilians by the hands of the police.
In a previous interview with NFL Media, the former San Francisco 49er explained his stance which began to gain support this season as other NFL players across the league also took a knee during the national anthem.
“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 said. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
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