To mark the tenth anniversary of his protest that transformed the NFL, Colin Kaepernick is putting a million dollars behind the communities that inspired it.
On Aug. 14, Kaepernick and his Know Your Rights Camp announced the return of their Million Dollar Pledge, committing $1 million to community-based nonprofits.
“When I made the Million Dollar Pledge in 2016, I wanted to put resources directly into the hands of the organizations and people doing the work in our communities every day,” Kaepernick said in a statement.
“The last ten years have shown us that community is the real power, and that when people have the resources to act on their vision, they can transform our communities,” he continued. “Today marks 10 years since I began to protest, and Know Your Rights Camp is renewing the Million Dollar Pledge with another $1 million investment in the organizations and leaders building healthier, safer, and stronger communities.”
The first $100,000 is already accounted for. Four organizations will each receive $25,000: 100 SUITS in New York City, Eternal Seeds in New Orleans, The Hidden Genius Project in Oakland, and The Lower Eastside Girls Club in New York City. Future grants will support work ranging from legal rights and youth development to education, technology, health, basic needs, economic opportunities, art, and history.
The renewed commitment revives Kaepernick's original 2016 personal pledge, in which he promised to donate $1 million of his own money to organizations working in underserved communities.
Kaepernick held the first Know Your Rights Camp in 2016, and it has grown into an ongoing campaign, co-founded by his wife Nessa Diab.
The organization's stated mission focuses on advancing "the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders."
Since its launch, KYRC has distributed more than $2.69 million in cash grants to organizations nationwide. That includes more than $800,000 through its COVID-19 Relief Fund, a $500,000 collaborative grant to the National Lawyers Guild to establish the KYRC Legal Defense Initiative, and $1 million to community bail funds in partnership with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.
