The late Muhammad Ali, the boxing legend, gave this powerful answer in an interview when he was pressured to go fight in Vietnam, or face prison, which is what happened:
“I’m not going to run away. I’m not going to burn any flags. I’m not going to Canada. I’m staying right here.
You want to send me to jail? Fine. I’ve been in jail for 400 years. I could be there for 4 or 5 more, but I’m not going to travel 10,000 miles to kill other poor people. If I want to die, I’ll die right here, fighting you if I need to. You’re my enemy, not the Chinese, not the Vietcong, not the Japanese. You’re my opponent when I want freedom. You’re my opponent when I want justice. You’re my opponent when I want equality.
You want me to fight for you? But you won’t even defend my rights or my religious beliefs right here in America. You won’t even stand up for me at home.”