Morgan State University announced they will award social justice advocate and former NFL football player Colin Kaepernick an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his social justice work.
Source: I AM ATHLETE YouTube
The university, which is located in Baltimore, Maryland, made the announcement on May 17th writing, “Morgan State University President David K. Wilson today announced that three exemplary vanguards of social justice and the African-American experience will be awarded honorary degrees during the 145th Spring Commencement ceremony taking place at Hughes Memorial Stadium on Saturday, May 21.”
“At the ceremony, the University will bestow honorary degrees to acclaimed Morgan alumnus and filmmaker David E. Talbert, who was previously announced as the commencement keynote; Morgan alumnus David Burton, the chief proponent in the landmark Coalition for Excellence and Equity in Maryland Higher Education (HBCUs) vs. the State of Maryland lawsuit; and Super Bowl quarterback and champion for social justice, Colin Kaepernick,” they stated.
Source: San Francisco 49ers YouTube
Wilson added his own comments saying, Leadership, Integrity, Innovation, Diversity, Excellence and Respect are more than just words that appear on the flags that adorn our campus, or words that we utter casually when reciting our core values, they represent the embodiment of who we are and what a Morgan graduate stands for.”
He added, “With this notion in mind, we intentionally sought a collection of individuals who truly embody these principles, and thankfully we have assembled a trio of diverse voices who have bravely stood—and kneeled—for the betterment and advancement of the voiceless, the marginalized and the disenfranchised.”
Source: San Francisco 49ers YouTube
While Kaepernick lead the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl after replacing Alex Smith in 2012 and then leading the team to the NFC Championship the following year, his biggest claim to fame is his protesting during the playing of the National Anthem at the beginning of NFL games.
He first began protesting by sitting during the playing of the National Anthem during the preseason of the 2016 season. He explained to NFL Media, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder,” Kaepernick added.
Kaepernick would further explain, “I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. … If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.
Source: San Francisco 49ers YouTube
Kaepernick would further elaborate on his protest in an interview with ESPN.com where he explained why he decided to protest, “People don’t realize what’s really going on in this country. There are a lot of things that are going on that are unjust. People aren’t being held accountable for. And that’s something that needs to change. That’s something that this country stands for freedom, liberty and justice for all. And it’s not happening for all right now.”
When asked if he would continue to sit, he answered, “Yes. I’ll continue to sit. I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me, this is something that has to change. When there’s significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent, this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand.”
Source: San Francisco 49ers YouTube
Later in the interview he also said, “There is police brutality. People of color have been targeted by police. So that’s a large part of it and they’re government officials. They are put in place by the government. So that’s something that this country has to change.”
” There’s things we can do to hold them more accountable. Make those standards higher. You have people that practice law and are lawyers and go to school for eight years, but you can become a cop in six months and don’t have to have the same amount of training as a cosmetologist. That’s insane,” he stated.
Kaepernick then asserted, “Someone that’s holding a curling iron has more education and more training than people that have a gun and are going out on the street to protect us.”
Source: ABC News YouTube
During the fourth game of the 2016 preseason, Kaepernick would begin kneeling during the National Anthem.
A photograph of him wearing socks depicting police as pigs at practice would also surface. The former quarterback would explain the socks in a now-deleted Instagram post saying, “I wore these socks, in the past, because the rogue cops that are allowed to hold positions in police departments, not only put the community in danger, but also put the cops that have the right intentions in danger by creating an environment of tension and mistrust.”
“I have two uncles and friends who are police officers and work to protect and serve ALL people. So before these socks, which were worn before I took my public stance, are used to distract from the real issues, I wanted to address this immediately,” he added.
Source: ABC News YouTube
2016 would be the last year Kaepernick played in the NFL. The 49ers would hire Kyle Shanahan as their new coach in the offseason and reportedly planned to cut Kaepernick if he did not opt out of his contract and become a free agent.
After not being picked up in the offseason, Kaepernick would sue the NFL claiming he was being kept out of the league. He would eventually withdraw his suit after reaching a settlement with the league.
Source: San Francisco 49ers YouTube
Kaepernick would eventually expand his protest to the NFL comparing the league’s combine to a slave auction.
Colin Kaepernick compares the NFL combine, which allows all players of all races a voluntary chance to become multi-millionaires, to slavery. Anyone still defending this imbecile lacks a functional brain. pic.twitter.com/rMaKi7c6xh
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 30, 2021
Despite this comparison, Kaepernick revealed in April that he wants to return to the NFL saying, “Absolutely. That’s without question. To your point, that’s five years of training behind the scenes to make sure I’m ready, and stay ready at the highest level. You don’t do that if you don’t have a passion and you don’t believe you’re going to find your way on that field.”
What do you make of him receiving an honorary doctorate from Morgan State University?