August 2016
Events
- August 26, 2016Colin Kaepernick Begins Kneeling During National Anthem
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem before NFL games in August 2016 to protest police brutality and racial inequality, following a suggestion from Green Beret Nate Boyer. After the 2016 season, Kaepernick opted out of his contract; no NFL team signed him despite his performance record. He filed a collusion grievance against NFL owners, which was settled confidentially in 2019. His protest ignited a national debate and led to President Trump calling protesting players 'sons of bitches' at a 2017 rally. Kaepernick became a cultural symbol of resistance.
- August 2016Standing Rock Sioux Resist Dakota Access Pipeline; Black-Indigenous Solidarity
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and thousands of water protectors gathered in North Dakota in 2016 to block the Dakota Access Pipeline, citing threats to sacred lands and water. Black Lives Matter activists joined the encampment, articulating shared struggles against environmental racism and state violence. Police deployed water cannons in freezing temperatures, rubber bullets, and sound cannons against protesters. The Obama administration halted the project in December 2016; the Trump administration reversed this and ordered construction to proceed in January 2017. The pipeline began operating in 2017.
- August 26, 2016Colin Kaepernick takes a knee
The quarterback kneels during the anthem to protest police violence.