Colin Kaepernick continued to show that he’s a man of the people when he decided to participate in an annual day of remembrance. According to Okayplayer, the 30-year-old pro-athlete joined the Alcatraz Indigenous People’s Sunrise Gathering on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23), to honor 89 American Indian activists who were involved in the 1969 “Occupation of Alcatraz.”
In a video posted to his Twitter account, Kaepernick shared his thoughts on the moment and what it means in the fight for justice. “The dancing, the rituals, that is our resistance. We continue to fight,” he said. “We continue to fight for justice. We fight for our freedom, and we continue on that path.”
Today, I was on Alcatraz Island at the Indigenous People’s Sunrise Gathering, in solidarity with those celebrating their culture and paying respects to those that participated in the 19 month occupation of Alcatraz in an effort to force 🇺🇸 to honor the Treaty of Fort Laramie. pic.twitter.com/KdNtY3dp72
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) November 24, 2017
Before Kaepernick became an NFL free agent, he announced his fight for racial equality across the states. While he remains unsigned, Kaepernick’s cause remains full steam ahead.
The “Occupation of Alcatraz” was cemented in history as a time when Indigenous Americans aimed to turn Alcatraz into a school for children and a recreational hub, Blavity notes.