The First Amendment states that people have the right to freedom of speech and the right to protest. Because of these rights, we have seen different protests—like players kneeling during the national anthem before an NFL game and the efforts of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement—affect the actions of some. In the long run, protests advocating for equal rights are beneficial to our nation.

Peaceful protests led by Martin Luther King, Jr. are examples from our nation’s history that show that peaceful protesting is a powerful way to publicize dissatisfaction. The Civil Rights Movement achieved all that it did because of a lot of the peaceful protests organized at the time. A peaceful protest is like a quiet rainstorm—not violent, but it conveys sadness and pain.

BLM was created in 2012 after the death of Trayvon Martin to get us to do something about the racial inequality in our country. What do you think this movement uses to portray its point? What would the outcome of violent protests be? BLM uses peaceful protesting to express that black lives matter too. People of different walks of life support the movement and attend its protests. As more people attend protests, the protests change people’s views on protesting from seeing it as a waste of time to recognizing it as an effort to make a change. With more people joining the movement, its protests become more powerful, and—just like the Civil Rights Movement—BLM’s peaceful protests make an impact to better our future.

Recently, NFL player Colin Kaepernick began another peaceful protest: Kneeling during the national anthem before every game as a protest of the oppression of people of color. This has since become a protest that many NFL players take part in, and it has affected football fans around the nation. This protest is peaceful because it’s the simple bend of the knee, a respectful opposition to oppression.

Some people believe that peaceful protests aren’t helpful in resolving controversial issues. Looking at our nation’s history shows that this belief is incorrect; peaceful protests have been a major factor in getting us to where we are today. As Dr. King said in his “I Have a Dream” speech, “We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence.”

Our great nation has provided us with the right to protest, allowing us to express our feelings. As people, we need to know that peaceful protest is an effective way to receive the attention and respect that our causes need from others. Given everything happening in our world today, it is imperative that Americans continue to use peaceful protest as a tool in the years to come.

This piece also appears in our October print edition.