Iowa cheerleader who took a knee during national anthem wins ACLU award

A former cheerleader won an award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa after she quit the Buena Vista University cheer squad when the school required them to stand during the national anthem.

Alyssa Parker, who was 19 at the time of the incident, is the winner of the ACLU of Iowa Robert Mannheimer Student Advocacy Award. The award announcement comes the same day the National Football League announced teams would be fined if players kneel during the national anthem.

"I can’t sit still while kids like Jordan Edwards get shot and killed by police. I can’t just do nothing after experiencing racism myself. Resigning from my Buena Vista cheer team may be a small gesture, but I know it can make a difference,” Parker wrote in her resignation letter.

During a football game at Buena Vista on Oct. 21, 2017, the sophomore and several other cheerleaders took a knee during the national anthem.

Afterwards, a notice from college police required those on the field to "stand for the national anthem as a unified team."

Student athletes and cheerleaders "will be allowed to kneel before the anthem if they choose," it stated.

Parker made national news following her resignation and later found the word "N-----" written outside her door.

"I was just shaking pretty bad," Parker previously said. "I just wanted to go home and didn't feel safe."

Parker transferred to Grand View University in Des Moines.