(image via USA Today)

 

Most of us are familiar with Michael Vick’s story. Back in 2007, Vick was in a huge scandal that involved a dog fighting operation, which eventually led to him pleading guilty and serving the minimum prison time.

So, Michael Vick is no stranger to what happens when you cross white America. He went from being the highest paid player in the NFL at the time to losing it all. Vick recently appeared on Fox Sport 1’s Speak For Yourself, and was asked to give advice to former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick.

If you aren’t familiar, Kaepernick has been basically pushed out of the league due to him taking a stand on the injustice experienced by members of the black community in America. One of the ways he stood up, was by sitting down during the national anthem.

The former cornrow wearing Michael Vick’s advice to him: “The first thing we got to get Colin to do is cut his hair. I’m not up here to try to be politically correct, but even if he puts cornrows in it, I don’t think he should represent himself in that way in terms of just a hairstyle. Just go clean cut. Why not? You’re already dealing with a lot of controversy surrounding this issue. What he needs to do is just try to be presentable.”

Vick’s advice ruffled a lot of feathers. While Michael Vick’s advice wasn’t really helpful, people should realize, he’s been there before but not for the same reasons. Vick was not trying to fight for any type of justice, he just got caught up. He was also able to somewhat redeem himself by presenting himself differently to the public. Perhaps, he even did some butt kissing to get back in good graces with white America. From his experiences, he may truly believe Kaepernick would benefit from a more “cleaned up” appearance.

However, Vick isn’t really the issue here. The issue is the fact that people still believe that if a person of color were more presentable, they wouldn’t be mistreated. This flawed belief has been proven as false many times throughout history. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most presentable and respectful activist of his time was even mistreated and disrespected. It doesn’t matter what you look like if you are going up against this system of oppression. The fact that you are standing up for injustice at all, automatically puts a bullseye on your back.

It’s not Kaepernick who needs to change, it’s the system that needs a makeover. Until people understand this, we will forever be divided on the issue.