In this op-ed, writer Keely Quinlan — whose father died while serving in the United States military — explains why she supports the #TakeAKnee movement, wherein athletes around the country have chosen to protest racism and police brutality by refusing to standing during the national anthem.

If you logged onto social media or watched cable news this past weekend, you have probably seen the debates surrounding President Donald Trump’s comments about Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players kneeling during the national anthem as a sign of protest against police brutality.

Trump said that any “son of a b*tch” who knelt during the anthem should be taken off the field, and that team owners should immediately fire or suspend the players. He later followed up the remarks with a series of tweets, saying “If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect… our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!”

As a result, various NFL teams galvanized, with at least a hundred players choosing to kneel, sit, or remain off the field entirely during the National Anthem on Sunday. They were, unsurprisingly, met with criticism from people who claimed that doing so is disrespectful to veterans and fallen soldiers who fought and died for America.

I have to disagree.

My father was killed overseas in 2007 in a helicopter crash while serving as a pilot in the army. When I was 10 years old, I sat in Arlington National Cemetery and watched as they lowered his flag-draped coffin into the ground. I was repeatedly told by family members and my father’s military friends that I had sacrificed something for this country, and that it was an honor. They told me the flag and the national anthem symbolized the freedom my father died fighting for. They told me I should be proud.

But I am not proud anymore. I am ashamed and embarrassed that my dad sacrificed his life for a country that is steeped in hypocrisy and racism.

This is a fact. Our country is hypocritical and racist. I’m exhausted from this truth being misconstrued as a partisan issue. This country was founded upon racism, and built on the backs of enslaved indigenous and black people, and legally allowed for segregation as recently as 53 years ago. To deny these historical facts is to deny the oppression that has plagued America since its founding. And so, when people try to deny others their rights to criticize that oppression, they’re only perpetuating the same racism and white supremacy that needs to be dismantled.

When Colin Kaepernick, who was a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers until last year, first knelt during the National Anthem in August 2016, he was simply using his rights as an American to protest the string of police brutality that often targets black people, and rarely receives any legal ramifications.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL.com. ”To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." (He is currently unsigned, and many people believe that teams have opted to sign other, less talented quarterbacks because they don’t want to be seen as “political.”)