Colin Kaepernick Wants Black Youth To Know Their Rights
Colin Kaepernick is not only gracing the latest cover of Paper magazine but the quarterback is also lending his hand as the publication’s guest editor.
In the in-depth feature titled “Colin Kaepernick Wants You To Know Your Rights,” the football player and activist presents “his 10 pillars of protection for all Black people.”
In 1966, activists Bobby Seale and Huey P Newton created a guideline to black freedom, which was originally known as the Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Platform and Program, and Kaepernick feels that not much has changed since Seale and Newton created the roadmap, over 50 years ago.
“That was over 50 years ago. And what has changed?” Colin Kaepernick asks. “Oscar Grant, Rekia Boyd, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice. What has changed? Laquan McDonald, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray. The Panthers’ demands are still alive today because the police are still killing us today.”
Kaepernick, 31, feels that the movement centered around liberating black people needs to be diverse and inclusive.
“This movement needs all types of people. From athletes to healers to poets and artists to scholars and lawyers, we need everyone to contribute to the struggle,” Kaepernick said.
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 07: Colin Kaepernick and Nessa Diab attend as O, The Oprah Magazine hosts special NYC screening of “A Wrinkle In Time” at Walter Reade Theater at Walter Reade Theater on March 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Hearst)
Kaepernick has launched a camp titled Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC) alongside his partner, Nessa.
KYRC is a traveling youth-empowerment initiative featuring Kaepernick’s “10 pillars” that was inspired by the death of Mario Woods at the hands of five San Francisco police officers.
It’s designed to be a safe space for mainly black youth, ages 12-18, where they can gain legal knowledge regarding how to navigate the all-too-common violent encounters with law enforcement.
KYRC is also centered around the youngsters thriving in the areas of education, health, tech, finance, and self-empowerment.
The camp which was launched in 2016 has made its way to Harlem, New Orleans, Chicago, Miami, Amsterdam, and Baltimore, and has hosted over 450 youth.
Kaepernick and Nessa’s camp is free for all youngsters due to it being funded by Kaepernick himself and via small donations.
