When Colin Kaepernick began to first sit, and then kneel, during the playing of the National Anthem at football games, he was making a statement. That statement was that he did not feel that our country was doing what needed to be done to recognize and fix racial injustice. However, as civil rights activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Abbie Hoffman have often said, peaceful protests and civil disobedience are effective in highlighting the social injustices because, in part, the people in privileged positions expose themselves for their bigotries. They do this because the status quo serves them very well; and change in that status quo exposes the incivility of their station in the world.
Papa John’s pizza has a long history of the morally dubious dealings of all big businesses. Founder and former CEO John Schnatter has been the face of the business that entire time. His dad is the titular “Papa John.” But with the NFL's flagging attendance and the deterioration of their "brand," Papa John's began to feel the pinch—with diminishing sales figures.
It was at this point that then CEO John Schnatter exposed himself—blaming black athletes for the flagging pizza sales. Forget about the fact that competing pizza chains did not seem to be affected by black athletes protesting racial injustice—Schnatter wanted you to know it was the black people. On Wednesday, news reports came out detailing an ad agency pulling out of their business dealings with Papa John’s over a phone conference with Schnatter where he graphically talked about lynchings and dropped the “N-bomb.” The fallout quickly included the University of Louisville accepting John Schnatter’s resignation from their board of trustees; and now CNBC is reporting that Papa John’s has announced it will be disappearing Schnatter’s face from their marketing.
The decision was made by top executives and the exact timing of his removal from these materials is still being decided, the AP said, citing a source familiar with the matter. The source was not aware of any plans to change the pizza chain's name.
Peaceful protests bring much-needed attention to important issues and problems. Peaceful protests expose privilege. It shows the world where the real lines and boundaries of power are.