Mark Ulrisksen recently released a new cover of The New Yorker titled ‘The Creative Battle’ in which it displays Colin Kaepernick, Michael Bennett and Martin Luther King Jr all taking a knee in order to protest racism and police brualty that has been affecting black people in America for centuries.
A 49er fan himself, Ulriken thought that this was the best thing to do to address racial inequality and police brutality towards black people in America. He also asked himself what MLK would do today to address these issues that plague America.
“This is 49er country, and my mom and I have been going back and forth– she’s upset that players have brought politics into sports, but I say, How would you feel if you had to show up at work every day and salute a country that treats black people like second-class citizens? I’m glad that Colin Kaepernick and Michael Bennett are making it political. I’m sure that if King were around today, he’d be disappointed at the slow pace of progress: two steps forward, twenty steps back. Or ten yards back, as the metaphor may be.” (NewYorker.com)
This artwork by Ulriken is something that all Americans must see. Kaepernick and Bennett have done their jobs of addressing systematic oppression and racism in America and their messages are values that the late MLK Jr would also approve of. Taking a knee during the national anthem does not in any way show disrespect to America’s service men and women but is a symbol of the issues in our country that have constantly been swept under the rug.