A decade after his controversial NFL protest, Colin Kaepernick’s activism continues to resonate, as the landscape of social justice in sports has shifted significantly.
By Shannon Dawson
Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell
https://getuperica.com/
A decade ago, Colin Kaepernick was an NFL quarterback. Today, he is better known as an activist, author, entrepreneur and one of the most influential figures in the modern fight for racial justice. Sept. 1, 2026, marks 10 years since Kaepernick first knelt during the national anthem before a San Francisco 49ers preseason game, turning a personal act of protest into a national conversation about racial injustice and police brutality. Where is Colin Kaepernick now?
Let’s take a look back at the NFL alum’s transition from football star to activist.
Taking a knee: Colin Kaepernick’s message to the world.
On Sept. 1, 2016, Kaepernick took an iconic kneel during the national anthem. Why? After speaking with former U.S. Army Green Beret Nate Boyer, Kaepernick chose kneeling as what he considered a more respectful way to protest racial injustice and police brutality across the nation.
Kaepernick’s protest came during a particularly turbulent year in the United States, as a series of high-profile police killings sparked protests and renewed national debate over race, policing and accountability. In 2016, U.S. police recorded approximately 1,091 killings, with young Black men facing a disproportionately high risk of being killed by police.
Several cases that year became flashpoints for the growing movement against police brutality.
On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling was shot and killed by police officers outside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His death prompted protests in the city and across the country, becoming another rallying point for activists demanding greater accountability from law enforcement.
The following day, Philando Castile was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Castile told Officer Jeronimo Yanez that he was carrying a legally owned firearm before Yanez shot him multiple times. Yanez was later acquitted of second-degree manslaughter and other charges in connection with the shooting.
Kaepernick’s kneel was a call to action and a push for change, one that came right on the world’s biggest sports stage. The decision changed his career—and arguably NFL culture forever.
Kaepernick played his final NFL game on Jan. 1, 2017. After becoming a free agent following the 2016 season, he was not signed by another team. He later filed a grievance against the NFL and its owners, alleging they had colluded to prevent him from being signed. The grievance was settled in 2019, but the football star never returned to the field. His activism kicked into full throttle.
So, where is Colin Kaepernick in 2026? Find out on the next page.
So, Where Is Colin Kaepernick in 2026?
Kaepernick, now 38, has spent the years since leaving the NFL building a life and career centered on social justice, education, storytelling and community empowerment. He founded Know Your Rights Camp, an organization focused on empowering young people and communities through education and advocacy. He also established Kaepernick Publishing, which works to amplify Black and Brown voices and give writers greater control over their stories.
Now, Kaepernick is adding another title to his résumé: memoirist.
His new book, The Perilous Fight, is scheduled to be released Sept. 15, 2026. The memoir comes nearly 10 years after his protest became a defining moment in American sports and culture. Kaepernick is also embarking on a national book tour, with stops planned in cities including Detroit, Brooklyn, Harlem, New Orleans, Atlanta, Sacramento and Los Angeles.
The timing is significant. As the 10th anniversary of his protest arrives, Kaepernick is getting another opportunity to explain the experiences, beliefs and events that shaped his decision to take a knee.
His work has also continued to earn recognition. In July, the American Civil Liberties Union honored Kaepernick with its inaugural Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports. In August, the Muhammad Ali Center announced that Kaepernick will receive its 2026 Humanitarian of the Year award in November.
Colin Kaepernick says he still isn’t pleased with the NFL, says more work is needed to change police brutality in America.
And despite the passage of time, Kaepernick’s relationship with the NFL remains complicated. In a Sept. 2 interview with NBC News, he said he no longer watches the league, arguing that he and other players involved in protests remain targets of what he describes as blackballing.
“I’m not gonna support an organization that one, is actively blackballing me, but two, has targeted my brothers who have been protesting as part of this as well,” Kaepernick revealed. “I watch college football.”
There’s also the complicated and ongoing landscape of race and policing in America. Kaepernick says that while he and countless activists continue working to bring change to a painful reality, much more needs to be done at the institutional level to create lasting progress.
According to Mapping Police Violence, an organization that tracks police killings across the country, police killed 1,318 people in the U.S. in 2025, an increase since 2016. So far in 2026, 836 people have been killed by police, underscoring Kaepernick’s argument that the issues that fueled his protest a decade ago remain far from resolved.
Kaepernick is also now a father to a 4-year-old daughter. Fatherhood, he says, has given his work an even deeper sense of purpose and reminded him that there is still unfinished business when it comes to the causes he has spent years fighting for. Being a dad “increases the responsibility and urgency of the work we’re doing,” he says.
Kaepernick doesn’t want his daughter—or anyone else—to believe that he stopped fighting or that the fight was not worth it. In his book, he writes, according to NBC News. “I don’t want my community to watch me and have the takeaway be that if you fight for Black folks, it’s over for you.”
Much has changed in American politics, culture, sports and policing since Kaepernick first took a knee in 2016. But in his view, the need for change has not disappeared. If anything, the continued number of police killings serves as a reminder that the issues that sparked his protest remain deeply relevant.
Ten years after that historic moment, Kaepernick’s story is no longer simply about football. His career on the field may be over, but his work off it continues through activism, publishing, education and community empowerment.
