Chris Kluwe: Reclaiming what it means to be an American
Photo Collage by Emily Paris, Photo Editor
On April 24, Chapman hosted a conversation with Chris Kluwe on “the courage and cost of civil disobedience.”
Kluwe is a social activist, writer and former NFL player, but the fancy titles don’t just serve as a medal of honor or a “job well done” for him. After his run of playing football for the University of California, Los Angeles and the Minnesota Vikings, he continued to fight for social justice, which Kluwe said is the reason his NFL career ended.
“I sued the Vikings for wrongful termination, made them settle,” Kluwe said. “They paid a high six figure to five local LGBTQ+ charities.”
Following his termination, Kluwe said he was “peacefully retired” until the Huntington Beach City Council was not acting in the interest of its city. At one of the meetings Kluwe attended, he took part in an act of “peacefully civil disobedience.” He was arrested and charged with a criminal misdemeanor for disturbing assembly.
Kluwe came to Chapman to have a Q&A conversation with students about participating in acts of civil disobedience safely, knowing the consequences that may follow and answering any questions they had on the overall political state of the country and world.
He said that part of the reason he decided to act out in the first place was because as a “straight, white, rich man,” he could afford to.
“People like me should be on the front line,” Kluwe said. “We can’t just put it on the shoulders of people who are oppressed and people who have the most risk. If you have the privilege, if you have the power, now’s the time to use it.”
However, Kluwe pointed out that it is important to know what potential consequences you are okay with enduring and him simply being who he is — a heterosexual caucasian man — might lead to him being treated differently than someone who is not.
Many concerns about what is moving forward under the Trump administration were brought up by attendees, especially on matters such as Trump’s motive to combat antisemitism in higher education, genocide, tariffs and deportations and how people can stand up for what they believe in — all issues that have been affecting Chapman. Kluwe took a firm stance that now is the time to speak out, get out in the streets and protest to reclaim the idea of being an American.
“Right now, it’s like, ‘Oh (Make America Great Again) MAGA, we wave the American flag. We’re the real Americans,’ but real Americans stand up to tyrants,” Kluwe said. “When they see a king, they say, ‘no we’re gonna cut his head off, it's not about how many flags you fly.”
He continued, emphasizing the need to hold power accountable and show solidarity with those in need.
“It means calling out your government when it is doing something wrong,” Kluwe said. “It means standing up for those who need help. That’s the ideal of America and we may not have always achieved it, but I think it’s a dream worth pursuing.”
Still from Chapman Newscast
Kluwe called attention to the importance of attending local city council meetings because they are the foundation for many things that happen.
“If you have a good city council, those meetings are boring — there isn't really a lot going on,” Kluwe said. “But in order to keep them boring, we have to show up and make sure we’re invested and that we know who we are voting for.”
Attending these council meetings and calling local representatives to keep pressure on them are good ways for people to get involved who aren't comfortable attending larger protests or participating in acts of civil disobedience like Kluwe.
However, Kluwe said if you are a student in America without citizenship, you should not participate in any form of protest.
“If you are a student here (in America) on a visa or a green card, you should not be protesting because our administration has shown they will deport you and they’ll kidnap you to send you out of the country,” Kluwe said.
Moving forward, Kluwe said that the future is in the hands of our younger generation — but we need to give them a reason to care.
“(Former Speaker of the House of Representatives) Nancy Pelosi was a congressional rep when I was, I think eight, I’m 44,” Kluwe said. “Give it up to the (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) AOC, give it up to the ‘Jasmine Crocketts,’ — (a Democratic Texas representative) — those people are the ones that are going to lead us to the future. There’s no shame in being like ‘okay, I’ve done my part, now I am going to help contribute to someone else who is younger, who can take up the banner.’”
He believes this is why there are not enough young people excited about democracy. However, democracy will continue to suffer unless people show up for it, Kluwe believes.
“Your democracy is going to get fucked up if you don’t show up, and then hopefully we can get you into power and you can start fixing the mess that my generation and the generation that came before me were supposed to fix, but did not do so,” Kluwe said.
He continued, encouraging students listening to show up for democracy even when it seems boring and to not make the same mistake he did when he was younger of not being invested.
“If I ever want someone to speak up for me when I’m in trouble, I have to be willing to do the same, right?” Kluwe said. “If I’m the one in a position of power and privilege, I need to speak up for those people who can’t. Otherwise, how can I expect that from someone else?”
Kluwe’s message was clear: the time to stand up against injustice is now — but doing so means understanding your own position and acting in ways that are both courageous and safe. Whether it’s showing up at a city council meeting or using privilege to shield those with less protection, fighting for democracy starts with knowing when — and how — to act.