Colin Kaepernick Speaks Out on 3rd Anniversary of His National Anthem Protests
It's been three years since Colin Kaepernick began his National Anthem protests.
The NFL player took to Twitter to share a message and video about why he continues to fight for justice after kneeling at his games during the anthem to protest police brutality and racism against African-Americans in the United States.
"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 31-year-old athlete tweeted. "The movement has always lived with the people! ✊?."
The accompanying video shows video of police brutality against African-Americans, people who acknowledge the importance of the protests, news clips, emotional speeches and more.
"This stand wasn't for me. This is because I'm seeing things happen to people who don't have a voice," Kaepernick says in a 2016 video. "I'm going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed."
This week, it was announced that JAY-Z would be partnering with the NFL to be the league’s official Live Music Entertainment Strategist, as well as to support the NFL's social justice endeavors. During his New York press conference on Wednesday, the rapper addressed his partnership given the league getting criticized for its treatment of Kaepernick.
Kaerpernick claims he was essentially blackballed from the NFL afterward and has still not been signed on to a team. A big part of JAY-Z working with the NFL, he said, was to bring more attention to the league's Inspire Change platform, which was created for players to engage with team owners, public officials, law enforcement, academic institutions, community partners and others to identify meaningful ways to strengthen local communities and the greater society.
"I think that we forget that Colin's whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice, so in that case, this is a success -- this is the next thing," JAY-Z explained of the partnership. "There's two parts of protest: the protest, and then there's a company or individual saying, 'I hear you, what do we do next?' For me it's about actionable items, what are we gonna do about it?"
For more on JAY-Z's NFL partnership, watch the video above.
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