Northeastern teen stands by decision to kneel for anthem
She has been doing this since the football season, but only recently did her protest reach social media, where it has been met with support and criticism.
This story was originally published Dec. 12, 2016.
UPDATE:Northeastern responds to photo of cheerleader who kneeled during anthem.
When Ajani Powell knelt during the national anthem at a Northeastern High School basketball game on Friday, it wasn't something new for her.
The cheerleader, a high school sophomore, had knelt during every football game in the fall, too. But this time, someone snapped a photo and posted it online. Debate ensued. Some commenters called her disrespectful and suggested she be kicked off the squad. Others stuck up for her freedom to protest as she wishes.
Ajani, 15, said she doesn't mean to disrespect anyone, and she doesn't really want attention. She believes there are people being treated unjustly in the country, and she kneels because of that.
"I don't expect other people to feel that way. It was strictly for my belief … not for others," she said. "If it does draw attention, I will use that platform as my way to say what I ... believe in."
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick made headlines at the beginning of the NFL season by kneeling during "The Star-Spangled Banner" to protest what he perceived as a rash of police brutality against African-Americans. That spurred others to similar protests, but also caused backlash from those who view it as unpatriotic.
Ajani, 15, said that when she was younger, she really didn't think racism still existed. But that changed as she got older. One day, while her class said the Pledge of Allegiance, she really thought about the words, especially the last few lines, down to "liberty and justice for all." And she felt like no one was living up to those ideals.
"We should be directing ourselves towards this goal," she remembers thinking.
So she decided to kneel for those who are being treated unjustly — and that means anyone, she said. It's not just about race. She believes things can be better.
"It's 2016 and people are being killed and nothing is happening about that. It's 2016, and people are being wrongly tried and nothing is happening about that," she said.
GALLERY: National anthem protests.
There are a lot of misconceptions about why she's doing it, she said.
"I do love America. I don't love everything about it," she said. "I believe in what our soldiers fight for. Without them, I wouldn't be able to do what I do now. I acknowledge that."
Photographer Curt Werner snapped the photo of Ajani while at the game for The Dillsburg Banner. He posted it on his Facebook page Saturday afternoon. By Monday it had been shared 545 times and garnered a few hundred comments.
Werner, a veteran, said he was standing at attention for the anthem when he noticed Ajani and "couldn't turn a blind eye."
"I was surprised to see it especially at the high school level," he said.
In 2015-16, Northeastern School District's student population was about 80 percent white. About 6.7 percent of students were black, and about 6.7 percent were Hispanic.
Northeastern school officials could not be reached for comment. Cheerleading coach Lisa Rentzel, reached on Sunday, referred all questions on the matter to the school district.
Ajani said she met with the superintendent and high school principal Monday, and they expressed concern for her safety. Some people made threatening comments toward her on social media, she said.
"The comments don't faze me," Ajani said. "I'm concerned about other people. I don't want anyone else to get hurt."
COLUMN: How national anthem protests bring out the worst in people.
She said the only comments she's heard at school have been supportive.
Northeastern basketball coach Jon Eyster said Sunday he had not seen the photo, but that he had heard of it, because "people in the community had reached out to me." He didn't see Ajani kneel during the game.
"I didn't see it, because I was standing at attention, saluting the flag, as a veteran of the military," Eyster said, who said he served with the U.S. Air Force.
"She has freedom of speech and it's her right to do that," Eyster said. "Just as it's my right to salute the flag as a veteran. Our rights are protected until we violate someone else's rights."
Eyster said he was unsure if the school's policies for athletes and cheerleaders covered kneeling during the national anthem.
"It's obviously a new phenomenon, a new freedom of speech, that people have chosen to do," he said. "I don't know if the athletic department has a policy; we've never had to deal with it."