Following a string of high-profile police shootings of Black men 10 years ago, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began protesting such incidents by sitting during the national anthem at preseason games.
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Kaepernick → follow → games
What began as a quiet action turned into a fevered national debate about freedom of expression, patriotism, and so much more.
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began → begin → expression
In Kaepernick’s new memoir, The Perilous Fight, the quarterback explains that his action was spontaneous.
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action → explain → memoir
He wasn’t even in uniform on August 13, 2016, the first time he sat during the anthem.
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he → sit → anthem
“I hadn’t given the anthem a second’s thought before I walked out onto the field that day, but it hit me in that moment that I should find a seat,” Kaepernick writes.
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Kaepernick → give → seat
“I didn’t want to stand up while that song was playing.
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song → want → ?
Rosa Parks had refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white person in 1955.
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Parks → refuse → 1955
Muhammad Ali wouldn’t step forward when his name was called by the draft board for the Vietnam War in Louisville in 1967.
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name → step → 1967
Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised black-gloved fists in the air during the playing of the anthem at the 1968 Olympics.
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Smith → raise → Olympics
They didn’t like what they saw, the way this nation touted its commitment to justice and at the same time showed little interest in it, and they took action.
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they → like → action
Those inspiring Americans had the courage of their convictions and literally changed the world in the process.”
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Americans → inspire → process
Kaepernick, despite leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2013 and throwing 16 touchdown passes, against just four interceptions, for a bad 49ers team in 2016, hasn’t played in the NFL since that season.
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Kaepernick → lead → season
In 2019, he and former teammate Eric Reid, who joined Kaepernick in kneeling during the anthem, settled a collusion lawsuit against the NFL.
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who → join → NFL
In late August, a decade after he etched his name in history, Kaepernick sat down with TIME to talk about why he hasn’t spoken up much about his protests, his relationship with the anthem today, his differences with Jay-Z, and the state of policing in the United States.
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he → etch → States
(This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity)
You’ve released a book, The Perilous Fight.
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You → edit → book
I've gotten so many questions about why did I protest, what happened, what led up to it, the details behind the scenes of all of the moments.
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what → get → moments
Not just the protest, but owners in the NFL, the conversations that were happening there, the workout in 2019 and all the things that transpired around that.
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that → happen → that
Then also just the work that we're doing directly in the communities.
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we → do → communities
It felt like it was a great time to be able to go out, answer some of those questions, and also be able to give insight into how we build, how we move forward together.
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we → feel → insight
I think it’s especially critical in a moment like this.
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it → think → this
The book starts with a harrowing incident of racial hostility involving the N word that you experienced as a child—one you weren’t comfortable sharing with your parents, who adopted you and are white.
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who → start → you
One of the reasons we wanted to start with that moment of going through the neighborhood, being tied to a rose tree, and the dynamic of not feeling comfortable telling my parents is it really sets the stage for the rest of the book, and sets the stage for the rest of my life.
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it → want → life
I had to navigate the realities that you face when you are Black in predominantly white spaces.
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you → have → spaces
I had so many questions around, “You lived a privileged life.
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You → have → life
And from the outside looking in, I understand how it can look that way.
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it → look → outside
But also the reality of the experience, and what I went through, is also something that's important to put in context.
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that → go → context
You didn't really do any interviews during the heat of 2016 and 2017, and in the aftermath. What was your thinking on not doing these types of interviews then?
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thinking → do → interviews
Yeah, it's interesting because I get both sides of that question.
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I → get → question
During the 2016 season, it was like, "Why are you talking so much?
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you → talk → season
As an NFL quarterback, you're required to speak three times a week.
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you → require → times
So reporters can ask you whatever they would like.
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they → ask → whatever
I'm happy to answer any questions as part of that.
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I → answer → that
But post that moment, one thing I realized was, it felt like there was a very, very intentional effort to make me the sole figure, or the sole voice, of the movement.
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me → realize → movement
I thought it was important to create space for other voices to be able to step up.
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voices → think → space
And one of the reasons that I thought that approach was so important is looking back historically, yes, we need strong leaders, but we need strong people collectively.
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we → think → people
That's actually what allows us to be able to sustain over time.
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us → allow → time
Also, as part of that, I thought it was very important as they were very intentional attacks to try to discredit me, discredit what I was capable of on the field, discredit my character.
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I → think → character
In those efforts of trying to discredit me, they were also trying to discredit the broader movement.
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they → try → movement
If there's one athlete who has stepped up in the way that you wanted, who would that be?
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that → be → that
I think there are voices across the board that have stepped up.
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that → think → board
…and 261 more, not listed.
The Aporia
