Athlete Gwen Berry is getting praise for her actions at the Olympic trial podium from Know Your Rights Camp which was founded by Colin Kaepernick. When hammer thrower Gwen Berry stood to receive third place for the hammer throw in the Olympic trials, she didn’t stand proudly like the other two athletes.
She protested the national anthem by turning away from the American flag and draping a t-shirt over her head.
Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick began the practice of taking a knee in protest during the national anthem before his football games in 2016.
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Kaepernick Praises Berry
Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC) took to Twitter to quote Berry, who said, “I’m here to represent those … who died due to systemic racism. That’s the important part. That’s why I’m going. That’s why I’m here today.”
“We applaud Ms. Berry on her bravery to stand up against systemic racism,” Kaepernick’s camp added.
"I'm here to represent those … who died due to systemic racism," she said. "That's the important part. That's why I'm going. That's why I'm here today."
We applaud Ms. Berry on her bravery to stand up against systemic racism.
Cited from https://t.co/p7Uo2l8iLR pic.twitter.com/WO45g7iZSJ
— Know Your Rights Camp (@yourrightscamp) June 28, 2021
Kaepernick’s first camp was in 2016 and has since been held in six cities. The camps are free to all youth and are funded by Kaepernick and through some donations.
KYRC’s mission is “to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.”
Berry Sounds Off
Berry, who came in third place during the trials, threw a complete temper tantrum when the anthem was played as she stood on the podium.
“I feel like it was a set-up, and they did it on purpose,” Berry said afterwards, according to Fox News. “I was pissed, to be honest. They said they were going to play it before we walked out, then they played it when we were out there … But I don’t really want to talk about the anthem because that’s not important.”
“The anthem doesn’t speak for me. It never has, she continued. My purpose and my mission is bigger than sports. I’m here to represent those … who died due to systemic racism. That’s the important part. That’s why I’m going. That’s why I’m here today.”
Berry seemingly backtracked a little bit yesterday, when she told the Black News Channel that she never said “I hated the country.”
“All I said was I respect my people enough to not stand for or acknowledge something that disrespects them. I love my people,” she stated. “Point blank, period.”
Backstory: Hammer Thrower Gwen Berry Protests National Anthem At US Olympic Trials
Berry Is Trying To Pull A Kaepernick
Radio host Clay Travis stated that Berry is just looking to make money off speaking out against America, much in the way that Kaepernick has.
“And I think what we’re going to see a lot of, unfortunately, as the Olympic trials continue and as we move into the Olympics next month, is everybody is looking for their Colin Kaepernick payday. Right?” he said. “No one has ever been paid more for saying America is awful than Colin Kaepernick, whose career as an athlete ended but he became an icon on the far left for saying America is a tremendously awful place.”
Full Story: Olympian Gwen Berry Accused Of Seeking ‘Colin Kaepernick Payday’ After Disrespecting National Anthem
If Berry hates this country so much, she is more than free to go.
She’s the last type of person that we want representing our country at the Olympics this summer.