Global Black History

Colin Kaepernick, the human rights activist in the United States of America in black America to be exact has been given an endorsement deal by the company Nike. This is unprecedented as American brands tend to steer away from political issues. American brands in general tend to take a neutral stance on social issues and are against making a stand because they fear alienating their customer base. The decision by Nike has certainly pleased supporters with Nike sales online jumping 31% online.  At the same time, detractors and white supremacists have started to burn their lower priced Nike tennis shoes because they believe Kaepernick’s stance is disrespectful of America and what it stands for.

For those who do not know who this human rights activist is; Colin Kaepernick was an athlete who in the year 2016 began to kneel during the American national anthem to protest police brutality.  In the United States in 2018, police have killed 694 Black people.

The United States has robust systems of courts which are supposed to decide on the fate of a person. What is happening in the US now is alarming as Black Americans are killed by police more than other races. Despite being only 13% of the population, Black Americans make up more than 25% of the victims of police brutality and so Colin Kaepernick believed that he was a voice to the voiceless and decided to kneel instead of standing for the national anthem. Kaepernick’s actions resulted in him losing his job in the National Football League (NFL).

Colin Kaepernick believed  that this was a cause for which he was prepared to lose his livelihood to stand up for freedom. He became a voice to the voiceless community and became a human rights icon in the eyes of the young people of America and not just America but the entire world because America stands for freedom for human rights freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly where life is valued. These are the American values and this is where Colin Kaepernick has been fighting for.