Colin Kaepernick was among a dozen honorees who received a human and civil rights award from the National Education Association.
Kaepernick was given the NEA’s President’s Award to recognize his work “to fight racial oppression through education and social justice activism” through the Know Your Rights Camp, a campaign that is fully funded by the footballer.
The youth camp aims “to raise awareness on higher education, self-empowerment, and instruction to properly interact with law enforcement in various scenarios,” according to its website.
“The human and civil rights champions we honor tonight are the epitome of the fierce urgency of now that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke about in his ‘I Have a Dream speech,'” NEA President Lily Eskelsen García said Sunday. “Through their deeds and actions, they have demonstrated remarkable courage and conviction to stand up for racial and social justice. They have shown an unrelenting resolve and ferocity to make a real difference for public education, students, and our nation’s future. They are shining examples of social justice activism, fighting against injustices every day, and making sure that our great nation lives up to its promise.”
https://twitter.com/NEAMedia/status/1013599112892239872
Kaepernick gained national attention after he kneeled during the national anthem while he was the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2016 preseason. The move, he said, was to protest police brutality.
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