[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14708]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     THANKING THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

  (Ms. JAYAPAL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank my home team, the 
Seattle Seahawks, for joining nearly 200 NFL players across the country 
who exercised their First Amendment right to protest during the 
national anthem. I fully support their right to do so.
  These players used their platform to draw attention to the racial and 
social injustices of our time and to condemn the racism and divisive 
rhetoric coming from President Trump.
  Athletes practice unity in a way that few others do, coming from 
every walk of life and pulling together to model unity every single 
game.
  Let us be very clear: these protests are not about disrespecting the 
flag or our country's brave men and women in uniform. They are about 
the oppression of people of color, the number of black men gunned down 
by police, and the school-to-prison pipeline. These protests are about 
speaking out about unacceptable behavior and rhetoric and fighting for 
justice.
  I thank our players and the Seahawks for addressing these issues with 
unity, compassion, and truth. I thank Colin Kaepernick for starting 
this important conversation.

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