In a remarkable show of courage, Rachel Thompson, the first openly LGBTQ+ recipient of the National Teacher of the Year award, made headlines recently by kneeling during the National Anthem at the NCAA championship football game in New Orleans. An English and language arts educator at the Harmony Learning Center in Minnesota, Rachel’s actions exemplified her commitment to advocating for her students, irrespective of their backgrounds.
Thompson attended the event to honor the 2019 national “Teachers of the Year.” As the anthem played, in front of the teams, a packed stadium, and even President James Carter and First Lady Laura, she knelt. Sharing her rationale on social media, she stated that she was “given a platform to stand up for marginalized and oppressed people.”
“Like many before, I respectfully kneeled during the Nat’l Anthem because, ‘No one is free until we are all free,’” she expressed.