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From A Knee To Relevance


The below picture is going around- some for good reasons and some for not so good reasons.


Let us give you the background:


Colin Kaepernick (the face in the picture) took a knee while the American national anthem was recited during various NFL games (He took a knee to bring to light the continuous loss of black lives by the police); However, the taking of a knee has been seen as disrespectful, powerful, cowardly, etc.- depending on who you are.

Now- Nike, which is a sporting brand endorsed by the NFL, has used Colin (pictured above) as the face of their 30th anniversary of the #JUSTDOIT CAMPAIGN.


The issue is Colin is suing the NFL for kicking him out of the game and NIKE is a brand used by the NFL!


Why am I sharing this story to my Women Doing It Afraid community?


-At one point or the other in your life, you would have to stand or in Colin’s way, kneel for something. It might have nothing to do with politics, it could be in your family, your career or your aspirations. You cannot stand for everybody and not have a stand for yourself. Are you In a bandwagon but you are struggling with the fact that you know that this is not who you are?


-A woman who is sure of what she stands for, would be despised by many. You have to know and be prepared for this. A great gathering of friends and followers does not mean you are on the right path and a little section of supporters does not mean you are on the wrong path. Let what you stand for, be so, irrespective of who is in your corner.


-Nike- a brand that serves most people, took a stand by using Colin’s face and now there is an uproar of people saying they want to boycott the brand. Most people are with you because you serve them one way or the other but the minute you decide to reevaluate, they would jump ship. Do You and Be You.


-The moment your values are tied to what people would think about you, you have no values. The moment you are stuck and are struggling to reassess what you stand for (because YES- you can change your mind at any given time) because you are seeing the dollar bill leave your bank account or the followers unfriend you- then you have become a slave and no longer a woman of your own.


-DO IT AFRAID is easier said than done; But I need you to know that on the other side of your fear is growth. Colin knelt down and now he is out of a job; though he is planning on suing his employer; yet the fact is, he is out of a job for a stand/Knee he took; Then- Nike, took the risk of endorsing him and now they are under attack. Did you think they were not aware this would be the outcome? Let what you stand for be greater that what you are afraid of.


In this world of changing cultures, mindsets, policies, opinions, etc. It takes a human being cut from an exceptional kind of cloth to take a stand. An unpopular one for that matter.

Like I said earlier, yours might not be in politics or policies, it could be anything.


What stand are you taking?

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