The shoe, the Nike Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July, was slated to hit stores for the Independence Day holiday and featured the original 13-stars version of the American flag on the heel. Nonetheless, former NFL star Colin Kaepernick complained the symbolism was offensive, and the shoe was pulled from the shelves. Kaepernick, who is signed to a marketing deal with Nike, made yet another issue about the American flag. The 13-stars flag is considered the “Betsy Ross Flag.” Betsy was an upholsterer and flag maker. The red-and-white striped field with five-pointed stars in a blue canton. The distinguishing characteristic features 13 stars arranged in a circle to represent the unity of the 13 colonies. This symbol on the back of a sneaker was just too much for Kaepernick and the liberal Twitterers alike.

Doug Ducey, Republican governor of Arizona, however, doesn’t see it that way. “Instead of celebrating American history the week of our nation’s independence,” he said, “Nike has apparently decided that Betsy Ross is unworthy, and has bowed to the current onslaught of political correctness and historical revisionism.”

Due to our racially sensitive and politically correct society, this flag is deemed oppressive. Since slavery was alive then, liberal minorities today use this to further the Left’s agenda to destroy patriotism in this nation. America, like any country, has a past. But the brutality of slavery and the injustice of Jim Crow laws are a thing of the past. We as Americans should look back to learn from history, not boast of being a victim of inequality. I learn of the fortitude, faith, and grit of my ancestors. I learn of their determination and sacrifice. I am inspired by their courage to stand for what’s right in the face of evil.

I’m reminded of Frederick Douglass’s speech, “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro,” which he presented in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852. Douglass respected the signers of the Declaration of Independence, men who put the interests of a country above their own. However, he also held American society accountable for her “inhuman mockery and sacrilegious irony” in thinking American slaves were to embrace the Fourth of July. Douglass asked a rhetorical question in his groundbreaking speech: “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us [blacks]?” He charged forward, “This Fourth July is yours, not mine.” Douglass wasn’t being a victim, but he was condemning America for being untrue to its founding principles: “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Before the Kaepernick “offensive” flag development, Nike had planned to build a plant in Goodyear, Arizona, investing $184.5 million and creating more than 500 jobs, according to ABC 15. The city had agreed to waive nearly $1 million in plan-review and permit fees. Arizona Gov. Ducey fired back on Twitter at the left-leaning decision from Nike:

“Nike has made its decision, and now we’re making ours. I’ve ordered the Arizona Commerce Authority to withdraw all financial incentive dollars under their discretion that the State was providing for the company [Nike] to locate here.” He went on to say, “Arizona’s economy is doing just fine without Nike. We don’t need to suck up to companies that consciously denigrate our nation’s history.”

The 13-stars version of the American flag is a symbol of freedom, not of offense and oppression. The symbol of freedom in this country wasn’t awarded to everyone at the same time. Nonetheless, we should not pretend that freedom doesn’t ring in this country today as the freest nation on earth. It hasn’t always been pretty, but like any family lineage, you learn from the good, the bad, and the ugly. God bless you this Fourth of July 2019!