Kaepernick sends mixed message by not voting

Colin Kaepernick certainly has his reasons for not voting. Take this statement he made during the throes of the election campaign:

“You have Hillary who has called black teens or black kids super predators,” Kaepernick said. “You have Donald Trump who’s openly racist.”

With that in mind, neither presidential candidate proved especially appealing to African-American voters. And it's not every election that America will have an African-American candidate.

But Kaepernick has never had a bigger platform from which to affect the change he so desires. As the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback, his every move is under the microscope, and we're talking about moves he makes on the sidelines, before games, after games, at press conferences, and in his everyday life. He brought that on himself when deciding he would no longer stand for the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The anthem and the flag are among America's most patriotic symbols of freedom. It was noble that Kaepernick chose to speak for a segment of the country he feels is oppressed, by taking their fight on as his fight. Deciding not to cast a vote in the election, however, was decidedly less so.

Especially after Kaepernick held and organized a "Know Your Rights" camp for hundreds of underprivileged youth in the Oakland area recently. He has the attention of an impressionable demographic of society, and his latest leadership move was showing them his vote wouldn't make a difference.

As noted in post-election coverage, half the country didn't fill out a ballot, contributing to the lowest national voter turnout since 2000. Further providing young minds with a prominent example of this practice contradicted everything Kaepernick taught them at camp.

Among those lessons was, "You have the right to be safe." It goes without saying that among the freedoms Americans enjoy is the ability to vote for whoever will best protect that safety. Granted, Kaepernick felt neither the Republican nor Democratic candidate was capable, but there are other ways to make that statement while still casting a ballot. After all, how can one affect change without action?

Kaepernick acknowledged his own decision to kneel during the national anthem meant nothing without further action, necessitating the youth camp.

While the camp focused primarily on handling interactions with law enforcement, he also professed to aid in building "a stronger generation of people that will create the change that is much needed in this world." Providing youth with the knowledge that politicians at every level are entrusted with making decisions that affect their families and day-to-day lives in almost every way imaginable is one manner in which that generation could've been emboldened.

By no means do I have the right to tell another human being what to do with their vote, but ballots have write-in options for a reason.

Kaepernick didn't ask to be the face of social justice, but in demanding justice and change, he made himself a role model. Kneeling for the anthem was a strong message, taking a knee on election day was - in its silence - an even louder declaration.

In no way does apathy affect change.