Fox host Laura Ingraham is boycotting Nike after the retail giant yanked their new Betsy Ross flag-bearing line of sneakers.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Oregon-based corporation made the decision to pull the Independence Day themed Air Max 1 USA across the country ahead of its Monday launch.
They issued the following statement:
"Nike has chosen not to release the Air Max 1 Quick Strike Fourth of July as it featured the old version of the American flag."
Nike made their decision after civil rights activists, including Nike spokesperson Colin Kaepernick, expressed concerns to top executives about the brand's use of the "Betsy Ross flag" on the new kicks being associated with White supremacist organizations.
Ingraham fumed about Kaepernick's influence on Nike and tweeted that she and her family will no longer wear the popular sneakers.
Will Nike suffer huge losses as a result of her protest?
Twitter isn't betting on it.
This user has a question for Ingraham.
WSJ explored the renewed interest in Betsy Ross's flag, which is being linked to White supremacy.
She purportedly made the first known U.S. banner in 1776 at the request of George Washington.
The Betsy Ross Flag consisted of 13 five-pointed stars in a blue canton to represent the unity of the 13 colonies, also known as the 13 British Colonies, along the Atlantic coast of North America.
After being established in the 17th and 18th centuries, the colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776.
There is plenty of speculation about who made the first American flag.
One argument for the Betsy Ross theory is that in 1776, George Washington was present in Philadelphia, PA, where Ross lived and served on a committee with George Read – the uncle to Ross's cousin by marriage, John Ross.
Another claim supporting the theory is that on May 29, 1777, the Pennsylvania State Navy Board paid Betsy Ross a large sum of money for making flags.
How about a flag update for the limited edition sneaker?
Despite being vocal about his wish to end slavery, Washington and his wife Martha were active slave owners for 56 years and owned roughly half of the 317 slaves in their historic home in Mount Vernon by 1799.
Recently, ultra-right and extremist groups like the Patriot movement have co-opted images of the Betsy Ross flag, which was not on Nike's radar until Kaepernick repeatedly spoke up about the flag's ties to White nationalism.
Since refusing to take a knee during the national anthem in protest to the "oppression of black people and people of color," the former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers was blackballed by the NFL and continues being the target of racist attacks on social media.
Nike aligns with Kaepernick, who has become a huge asset with the corporation after successful marketing campaigns with taglines like, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."
Kaepernick is getting much praise for his stance.
Despite conservative whining, Nike seems to be winning.
Sales for the popular athletic wear have surged and is proving that their strategy is a step in the right direction, regardless of Ingraham's angle on the controversy.
The book A Black Man in the White House: Barack Obama and the Triggering of America's Racial-Aversion Crisis is available here and speaks to the reactions of many to a person of color in the White House.
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