Immediately after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick protested the national anthem for the first time, critics chimed in and told the multi-million dollar man to put his money where his mouth is.
Now two weeks removed from that initial protest, Kaepernick is doing exactly that.
Following Thursday night’s preseason game against the San Diego Chargers, Kaepernick revealed that he will be donating $1 million of his own money to underprivileged communities in need.
Kaepernick says he’s donating the first $1 million this season he makes this year to organizations that work with communities.
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) September 2, 2016
“I’ve been very blessed to be in this position and to be able to make the kind of money I do,” Kaepernick told reporters. “And I have to help these people. I have to help these communities. It’s not right that they’re not put in a position to succeed or given those opportunities to succeed.”
In addition to the $1 million donation to underprivileged communities, Kaepernick and his girlfriend, Hot 97 radio personality Nessa Diab, have donated $60,000 worth of backpacks and school supplies to students in Harlem and the South Bronx.
“Having a new backpack to start off the new school year helps give each student a fresh start,” Nessa said in a Thursday press release. “When we looked at everything when it comes to supplies, we found backpacks were an investment for most parents. As for the student, we wanted to ensure we found one that could last for more than a year, and that was sturdy, durable and versatile for students to use for books, sports equipment or art materials, and traveling.”
Although Kaepernick was not available to donate the backpacks in person, he did chat with the students via Facetime.
“We must invest in our youth because they are the future leaders of our community,” Colin said as part of the press release. “I want them to know that we appreciate and care for them. In doing so, we must provide all the necessary tools for them to succeed and I will do whatever I can to ensure we do that as a community.”
Kaepernick plans to continue his protest of the national anthem, but has opted to begin kneeling as opposed to sitting to help soften the perceived disrespect of the country and its military personnel.
