Colin Kaepernick has been in the news a lot lately for his decision to kneel during the national anthem, which has sparked plenty of discussion about protesting, race relations, and what the American flag represents. One of the frequent criticisms to Kaepernick’s protest is that some people find it hollow unless he does something tangible. Fair or not, people see Kaepernick getting down on one knee and demanding change, but they find these actions hollow unless they lead to him actually doing something.
To combat that, Kaepernick has pledged to donate $1 million to help communities, and Niners owner Jed York has pledged that he will follow in his backup quarterback’s footsteps and donate $1 million from the 49ers Foundation. On Tuesday, Kaepernick clarified how he plans on donating the massive chunk of change. Even better, Kaepernick announced that he plans on making it easy for people to follow along and hold him accountable for making all of these donations.
Colin Kaepernick says he'll donate $100k a month for the next 10 months. Is setting up web site so public can track $, how it is spent.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) September 20, 2016
People can criticize Kaepernick all they want, but the one thing that you absolutely cannot say is that he’s not trying to back up his words with actions. This is a cause that Kaepernick is passionate about, obviously, and he doesn’t want anyone to think that he’s saying “we should do something” without actually doing something. Of course, this is just a start, and Kaepernick donating money won’t lead to all of the injustices he’s trying to fight going away, but it still says a lot about Kaepernick that he’s talking the talk and walking the walk.
