The trials of Colin Kaepernick
A star student and athlete, Colin Kaepernick has never been a stranger to marginalization. Now a household name, Kaepernick has used his platform of fame and fortune to shine a light on racial inequalities in America. Though he was raised in a white family, after being given up for adoption by his biological parents, Colin was still pegged as an outsider by people seeing his family dynamics. He consistently battled with people assuming he wasn’t part of his family, though he was a child standing right next to them. It is this perpetual feeling of misplacement that drives his passion for equality.
There is hardly a sport that Colin cannot play. Ironically, a top-ranking quarterback, Kaepernick only received one college football scholarship, to Nevada State. The rest of his scholarship offers being for baseball. This made him feel as though he had a chip on his shoulder and something to prove.
After college, Kaepernick was chosen in the second round of the 2011 draft for the NFL by the San Francisco 49ers, where made a name for himself as a quarterback. In the summer of 2016, he made his first public protest of the national anthem. He was sitting out for a few games due to a shoulder injury, so he went completely unnoticed sitting on the bench while his teammates stood for the anthem. It wasn’t until a few games later when he was first spotted sitting during the anthem claiming to NFL.com, “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 has been often compared to Muhammad Ali, who during his time, refused to join the Vietnam war draft, leading him to be stripped of his heavyweight championship titles and convicted of draft evasion, all in the name of protest. Similarly, Kaepernick has found himself without a position on any teams since his 2017 season with the San Francisco 49ers, his sixth and final season with the team. It is more than just speculation that the all-white, predominately-conservative, millionaire NFL owners were not pleased with how outspoken Colin is towards racial inequalities and police brutality. They may have felt as if they owed it to Donald Trump to follow what he says, to throw out any players who do not stand during the national anthem.
Kaepernick knew this was a problem he may face, saying “to me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” he continues, foreboding, “if they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.” When saying this, Colin echoes retired NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Twenty years ago, Abdul-Rauf first protested by silently praying during the national anthem. After facing suspension and death-threats, Rauf said “it’s priceless to know that I can go to sleep knowing that I stood to my principles. Whether I go broke, whether they take my life, whatever it is, I stood on principles. To me, that is worth more than wealth and fame.” Luckily, Kaepernick hasn’t lost any endorsements due to his protests. He actually has gained quite the endorsement. Colin landed himself a deal with Nike worth millions.
Colin went from sitting to kneeling after a long discussion with former Seahawks player and green beret, Nate Boyer. After a civil debate-turned-understanding, Boyer helped the protesting-quarterback see that kneeling in the military is a sign of respect. If Colin wanted to protest racial inequalities but respect the men and women that fight for this country, he should take a knee instead of a seat. This quickly started a wave of athletes, outside of just football, to follow in Kaepernick’s footsteps. Reportedly, high school students began to stay seated in protest during the pledge to allegiance in morning announcements across the country.
Though he has never hidden the reasons behind his protests, the reasons he kneels can be seen in some of the responses he has gotten since not being signed to a team last season. Remarks were made that it was because his tattoos make him look like a criminal, while his tattoos are mostly of religious scripture. Comments were also made that his hair, worn in an afro, was deemed “unprofessional.”
While he was being scolded by people speaking with prejudice, not letting their words bother him, they fueled him to learn more about inequality and announce his pledge to donate one million dollars of his salary to different organizations fighting for equality. Colin started taking classes on black representation in popular culture at the University of California, Berkeley taught by Ameer Hasan Loggins. He was reported to have taken diligent notes, do the assigned reading and engaged in class discussions. Since his leave of absence from football, Kaepernick has met his goal of donating the total sum of one million dollars spread to 40 organizations. Many of his donations were matched by friends and fellow celebrities.
