Country star Meghan Linsey received death threats after performing the U.S. National Anthem while taking a knee at an American football game on Sunday (24Sep17).
The former Steel Magnolia singer showed her solidarity with players and team staff who were protesting police brutality and racial inequality at games across the nation and knelt as she sang the Star-Spangled Banner before the Tennessee Titans game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Meghan insists she did the right thing, but admits the fall-out following her stance has been tough.
"I've been waking up with anxiety a lot and it's hard to eat food and sleep, but other than that, I'm good," she says.
"It (protest) wasn't a matter of standing against our flag or our military. I was standing up for a cause that I believe in."
But not everyone supported what she did before the big game, and she has had to face a barrage of hostility from people who felt her actions were un-American.
"I think that's a testament of where we are as a country, that it can be so divisive and so volatile," the singer adds. "We're starting to see that more and more since the election (of President Donald Trump). I just haven't had it directed at me.
"I know it's hard and scary, but at the same time there's a real problem in this country with social injustice and racism. I think it's going to take an army of people that are white and privileged to step up and say, 'No, this is a real thing', in order for change to happen."
Last weekend's nationwide protest was sparked by President Trump, after he called for football players to be fired by team owners if they "disrespected" the American flag by kneeling during the performance of the National Anthem.
