Happy Friday! Today’s Famous Friday features the former NFL player and American civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick.
I thought this week was a good time to reintroduce Kaepernick and update his accomplishments! He is of White and African-American descent, was born in 1987 and adopted by Rick and Teresa Kaepernick. From a young age, he began his football career and was nominated for all-state selection his senior year in football, basketball, and baseball while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
In college, Kaepernick played football for the University of Nevada, Reno. Throughout his college career he passed for over 10,000 yards and rushed for over 4,000 yards, and he is the only person in Division I FBS football history who has been able to do so. Also, he was given the WAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year Award. From his senior year, he continued to the NFL after graduating from University of Nevada, Reno with a 4.0 grade point average.
For six seasons, Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers. During his NFL career, he led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2012 and to the NFC Championship Game in 2013 as starting quarterback. In 2016, in protest of police brutality and racial injustice in the United States, he began to kneel during the national anthem. In the 2017 season, he received no offers which many claim are a result of political bias. With his total quarterback rating, no other equally capable quarterback had been unsigned in the off-season for as long as he had. Currently, Kaepernick continues his search for a new team, but he acknowledges that he had been blacklisted by the NFL seven years ago.
After harsh online opinions towards his protests, he donated $1 million overall to several organizations such as Mothers Against Police Brutality and many others including charities. He and his spouse founded the “Know Your Rights Camp” which empowered and taught underprivileged youths. Kaepernick was also featured in a Nike ad, wrote the children’s book I Color Myself Different, and co-created the Netflix series Colin in Black & White. His political protests and NFL accomplishments inspired other players in the NFL, celebrities around the world, and Kaepernick continues to influence the multiracial community today with his sacrifice for his political opinions and his determination in his career.
Ella Garrison, Project RACE Teen Vice-President
Photo Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Kaepernick