For many people, this is a time to reflect on what it means to live in the United States. The election season revealed a divided nation, and many folks are saying they feel like strangers in their own country. Clearly, many already did.
One person who’s been expressing this sentiment on the national stage is Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Before a preseason game in August, he chose not to stand during the singing of the national anthem. He said it was a protest against police brutalizing people of color in the United States.
“Ultimately,” he said in a post-game press conference, “it’s to bring awareness and make people realize what’s really going on in this country. There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust, people aren’t being held accountable for, and that’s something that needs to change. That’s something that this country stands for freedom, liberty, and justice for all, and it’s not happening for all right now.”
Kaepernick has embraced his role as a social justice spokesman.
Two weeks ago, he hosted a camp in Oakland for underprivileged kids throughout the Bay Area. Inspired in part by the Black Panther Party, it drew more than 100 people who learned about education, finances, physical fitness and how to face oppression. Kaepernick told reporters he hopes to replicate the camp around the country.
