Colin Kaepernick Marks 3rd Anniversary Of Protesting Police Violence With Video
To mark three years since he began a civil rights protest by not standing during the national anthem at an NFL game, Colin Kaepernick shared an emotional video Wednesday paying tribute to people affected by police brutality.
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, who’s been unsigned since the season he began protesting, tweeted the video with a promise that he’s continuing to “work and stand with the people in our fight for liberation,” referring to the disproportionate number of Black people killed by police.
Today marks the three year anniversary of the first time I protested systemic oppression. I continue to work and stand with the people in our fight for liberation, despite those who are trying to erase the movement! The movement has always lived with the people! ✊🏾
🎥: @REL pic.twitter.com/TAqumRfjbi— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) August 14, 2019
The video features remarks from friends and family of Alton Sterling, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Philando Castile, who were all victims of police violence.
Though most recall Kaepernick protesting by kneeling during the anthem, Aug. 14, 2016, was the date he first decided to sit through “The Star-Spangled Banner.” He did so again at a game four days later, but both actions went largely unnoticed.
It wasn’t until later in August that the quarterback began kneeling and explained to the media that doing so was a demonstration against police brutality. Countless other athletes have since followed suit.
No one was more enraged by the kneeling than President Donald Trump, who encouraged fans to boycott the NFL and called Kaepernick a “son of a bitch” in 2017.
Kaepernick, who’s been a free agent for years despite a decent 2016 season with the 49ers, settled a lawsuit with the NFL in February after he sued the league for allegedly blackballing him.
Earlier this month, he not-so-subtly reminded the NFL with a tweet that he’s kept himself in shape and hopes to play in an upcoming season.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
