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Now Musicians Like Eddie Vedder, Roger Waters and Prophets of Rage are Taking a Knee

What began as a one-man protest by Colin Kaepernick has mushroomed into an NFL-wide demonstration of solidarity. Some of the biggest guns in the NBA are on board. And now more and more musicians are showing how they feel about Donald Trump’s comments regarding what he believes to be disrespect of the American national anthem.

On the list of knee-takers so far:

Stevie Wonder

https://youtu.be/eHTZiqxlhCM

Stevie again, this time with Dave Matthews

Pharrell Williams

Eddie Vedder

Roger Waters

Prophets of Rage also offered their voices in protest. And John Legend wrote this on why the NFL protests are patriotic.

The president of the United States loves to drape himself in the symbols of patriotism, but fails to respect the ideals at the core of our Constitution and national identity. Trump may love the flag, but he doesn’t love anything it’s supposed to stand for. He actively encouraged a hostile foreign power to infiltrate our electoral process. He wants to suppress millions of Americans’ right to vote because they didn’t vote for him. He routinely undermines freedom of religion with his rabid Islamophobia, attacks the free press with disturbing regularity, and is now attacking the rights of the people to peacefully protest.

Protest is patriotic. Protest has played a critically important role in elevating the voices of the most vulnerable in our nation. Protest in America has been essential to ending war, to demanding equal rights, to ending unfair practices that keep citizens marginalized. If we quell protest in the name of patriotism, we are not patriots. We are tyrants.

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Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39325 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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