The media’s new obsession is the controversy that is surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. If you haven’t been following the story, I’ll break it down here for you.

Kaepernick sat during the national anthem before the team’s preseason games and said he will continue to do so until he sees change in racial oppression. Several people have been outraged at Kaepernick’s decision, feeling that it is an insult to America as well as the military.

I feel like the people who are against Kaepernick are not looking at the full story.

There are many reasons why I disagree with those who disagree with him.

Let’s start with the military disrespect, shall we?

Kaepernick did not say that he has a problem with the military. His standing or not standing actually has nothing to do with the military. But since it has been brought up, we will take a look at how America really cares for its military.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there were 49,933 homeless veterans in 2014. That number represents 8.6 percent of the total homeless population. This is a substantial decrease from the 67.4 percent recorded in 2009 but it’s still a staggering number to consider.

Is this how we treat those who have given years of their lives to this country? Is this the thanks they get, living in squalor on the street? I thought you said we cared about them.

It’s confusing that most of the people who are against Kaepernick are saying that it is because of military disrespect, but I didn’t see any of this outrage when photos surfaced of Dylan Roof burning the American flag.

Kaepernick doesn’t need to disrespect the veterans because the rest of America is doing enough of that.

I should also point out that my father, uncle and aunt have served in the military. My brother and cousin are also currently serving.

I also have adopted a solider so I’m well aware of how America treats their military and I definitely support them.

Yet I must reiterate once more that this has NOTHING to do with the military and EVERYTHING to do with the injustices that this country has perpetuated on the minorities that live here.

Yes, what he is doing is a bit extreme, but how else would he get the attention of America?

We’ve tried putting faith in the justice system and it has repeatedly failed us. If we riot, then we are called thugs and thieves.

We speak about the eye-for-eye method and are strongly discouraged from acting on it, so what choice is left to us?

We are tired of being silent and if it takes sitting down during a song that was written by a man who felt that blacks were “mentally inferior” or not placing our hands over our hearts in honor of a flag for a country that allows murderers to have paid vacations and be with their families while their victims are sent home in body bag or left to bake on the hot streets then so be it.

The song in question is racist in its own right.

The mainstream media history of Francis Scott Key is that he wrote the Star Spangled Banner while being held captive on a British ship during the War of 1812.

Watching the American troops battle back the invading British filled him with overwhelming pride and he was inspired to write the song we now use as our national anthem.

The real history is that Key was on the boat trying to get one of friends, Dr. William Beanes, released. While waiting for a resolution he observed the battle of Fort McHenry.

This is what inspired Key to write the song. It says a lot about America that we ignore the third stanza he wrote condemning the slaves who switched sides in order to save their lives.

Why are we praising a man who literally said, “Their blood has wash’d out their foul footstep’s pollution/ No refuge could save the hireling and slave/ From the terror or flight or the gloom of the grave.”

He didn’t want them to be free and was exhilarated by the fact that their blood was running through the street.

Although Kaepernick’s stance is focused mainly on police brutality, I think now is the perfect time to call attention to the fact that this country has yet to shake off it’s racist past.

Kaepernick did nothing wrong. He is calling attention to a very serious problem that we have in this country.

We should all sit with Kaepernick until America takes better care of its citizens.

This country is a good place to live and our options appear limitless, but nothing, and I do mean nothing, is perfect. And that means that we have options to grow.