Nike pulls Betsy Ross flag sneakers amid Colin Kaepernick's concerns of its ties to racism
Nike is yanking a sneaker featuring the "Betsy Ross flag" after Colin Kaepernick said he and others consider the symbol to be offensivehttps://on.wsj.com/2Nr3xJB
"After images of the shoe were posted online, Mr. Kaepernick, a Nike endorser, reached out to company officials saying that he and others felt the Betsy Ross flag is an offensive symbol because of its connection to an era of slavery."https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1145838971731226624 …
BREAKING:
@Nike just pulled a 4th of July themed shoe feat a Betsy Ross American Flag because @Kaepernick7 complained saying it was “offensive”?!?!?!
Can we just for ONE DAY Attempt to be Americans and be PROUD especially during the 4th of July!
The day we became America?!
It’s a good thing @Nike only wants to sell sneakers to people who hate the American flag.... @NFL #HappyFourthhttps://twitter.com/wsj/status/1145838971731226624 …
They pulled it because that flag has been used as a symbol of hate by white extremists. It represents the original colonies that did not recognize black people as fully human.
If you’re going to tweet about the Betsy Ross Flag, make sure you include this part: “It has been appropriated by some extremist groups opposed to America’s increasing diversity.”https://www.wsj.com/articles/nike-nixes-betsy-ross-flag-sneaker-after-colin-kaepernick-intervenes-11562024126 …
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20190702123207im_/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D-blUE0XsAA1Ak6.jpg)
I am a veteran and I have a beautiful Betsy Ross flag flying that recently replaced it’s predecessor-another Betsy Ross flag. If that offends Colin Kaepernick,that’s tough. I am not a right wing voter but let’s get real. This is too much.pic.twitter.com/uW8N50AOHJ
Also... the Betsy Ross flag has recently been appropriated by white nationalists. It’s their way to symbolize the “good all days” ie cotton pickers knew their place. Please consider taking down this flag after 7/4 as it could be seen as a sign of solidarity with hate groups
This is getting absurd. The shoes don’t stand for slavery, they represent the first flag that flew over our united nation. People need to realize that any historical artifact of the US is not a symbol for slavery purely since they existed at the same time.https://www.wsj.com/articles/nike-nixes-betsy-ross-flag-sneaker-after-colin-kaepernick-intervenes-11562024126 …
The Betsy Ross flag has been turned into a symbol of white nationalism and domestic extremism. Conservatives will whine, but Colin Kaepernick was right to speak out and Nike was right to pull the products.https://twitter.com/thedailybeast/status/1145847608231026689 …
Research the Patriot Movement if you want to learn more about what this flag is connected to. Some truly heinous shit. OKC bombing, doctor assassinations, deadly militia standoffs, hate crimes, and that's just scratching the surface.
So what happens now is the Betsy Ross flag will be further and further marginalized so that indeed only white nationalists and people like that will display it. Self-fulfilling prophecy.
Nike has canceled Monday’s launch of its new limited edition USA-themed Air Max 1 sneaker for the Fourth of July holiday after criticism that it featured the Betsy Ross flag. Some white nationalists have adopted the historic flag.https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/claudiakoerner/nike-air-max-betsy-ross-flag?bftwnews&utm_term=4ldqpgc#4ldqpgc …