New Hampshire has largely been spared the turmoil that has been sweeping communities each time a black or brown man is killed in a confrontation with law enforcement.

Police here, we believe, are better trained and the state’s minorities are few. That doesn’t mean that driving while black never happens or that racism can’t be found, but it isn’t on the surface.

That makes it harder to talk about, so we thank Merrimack Valley football player Samuel Alicea, who has now taken a knee before three football games when the national anthem is played. Alicea’s courageous protest reminds us that the Bill of Rights and the Constitution are, though the law of the land, aspirational documents. We must constantly ask ourselves, as a society, whether we are living up to words like "all men are created equal," that obstacles are not placed in the path of some seeking life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Alicea’s actions have the support of his principal and the district’s superintendent, as they should, and the young man has earned respect from many in the community, even among some who are pained by what they perceive as disrespect for the flag. The greater pain comes with the realization that Alicea’s protest is justified

Caroletta Alicea, a state representative, a Merrimack Valley school board member and Samuel’s grandmother, has suffered the insults and slights endured by all people of color. Like her grandson, she is patient and brave, having marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and willing to suffer discomfort to foster understanding.

Working with Merrimack Valley Superintendent Mark McLean, Caroletta Alicea is planning a school-district-wide meeting to discuss racial equality.

It is a discussion that should be held in every school district, and in every church and home.

– Concord Monitor

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