Colin Kaepernik’s New Netflix Series “Colin in Black & White”

On Friday, October 29, 2021 Netflix is set to release Ava DuVernay’s latest project, “Colin in Black & White,” a limited series drama where Colin Kaepernick narrates and recounts his high school years and experiences navigating through race, class, and culture while aspiring for greatness on his road to become a professional athlete and activist.

The series focuses not on what happen during the popular 2016 “take a knee protest,” but instead focuses on the young mixed-race teenager from Wisconsin who was adopted as an infant by two white parents and then transported to the predominantly white town of Turlock, California. Growing up he often found it difficult to straddle between two worlds, living as white while being black.

“I had important goals I wanted to achieve in telling this part if my story,” Kaepernick told the Los Angeles Times. “I wanted to create a scripted series around my high school years that addressed race and racism head on.” He then went on to say that “The reason we focused on high school years is because they are pivotal in figuring out who you are, where you fit within society, and ultimately what your trajectory is going to be. It allowed us to dive into the complex racial dynamics of my family, my relationships and society.”

The series presents stories from Kaepernick’s youth that shaped his view and complex perspective on race and racism. The series portrays this three-sport, all-star athlete in the various mistreatments he endured due to the color of his skin. It also depicts his first experiences consuming soul food, having his hair braided by a black hairstylist, being pulled over by a police officer, the differences of treatment he received from hotel and other adults when travelling with his high school’s baseball team, and so much more.

“I want Black and brown communities, particularly youth, to know we will face racism, we will face white supremacy, we will face oppressive systems, but we have the power to overcome them and the power to change them,” Kaepernick says of his hopes for the series. “I want them to know we don’t have to accept the status quo, and ultimately, I want them to be their full selves and to stand firmly in their full power.”

Kaepernick, the popular retired NFL player, made headlines during the 2016 NFL preseason when the then San Francisco 49ers quarterback set off a media storm with his silent protest when took a knee while the national anthem played prior to the start of the game. Following the 2016 football season, NFL teams and owners turned their backs on him by deciding to black ball him from the professional sport by ensuring that he not receive any offers from any teams.

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Tags: ava duvernay, colin in black and white, Colin Kaepernick, Netflix