OPINION: I'm the Penn cheerleader who knelt last year — here's why I'll keep protesting
(01/21/18 11:32pm)
During the 2016 football season, a pair of Penn cheerleaders made headlines by kneeling during the national anthem, joining the nationwide protest inspired by then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. At the time, one of the cheerleaders, then-junior Alexus Bazen, told The Daily Pennsylvanian, "I believe that the climate of the world right now is very hostile. All over the news there has been brutality and violence against people of color and I truly believe in … fighting for equality and standing up for what I believe in." More than a year after the initial protests, Bazen reflects on why she chose to make the move and what type of progress she feels the nation has made since.