Colin Kaepernick gets highest possible honor from National Education Association
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was never quite able to reach the lofty heights of being an MVP or a Super Bowl champion.
He has, however, been given the highest possible honor from the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union.
The NEA announced Sunday that Kaepernick was a recipient of the NEA Human and Civil Rights Award.
Also receiving the NEA’s highest honor, the NEA President’s Award, Kaepernick and his Know Your Rights group is being honored by the education advocacy group for “advancing the mantle for human and civil rights.”
Kaepernick was one of 12 recipients for the Human and Civil Rights Award. Former first lady Michelle Obama is also one of the recipients.
“The human and civil rights champions we honor tonight are the epitome of the fierce urgency of now that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke about in his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia.
She went on to heap praise on the 12 recipients, who also include LGTBQ activist Chris Sgro and Vermont’s Muslim Girls Making Change group.
“Through their deeds and actions, they have demonstrated remarkable courage and conviction to stand up for racial and social justice,” Garcia said. “They have shown an unrelenting resolve and ferocity to make a real difference for public education, students and our nation’s future. They are shining examples of social justice activism, fighting against injustices every day, and making sure that our great nation lives up to its promise.”
In regards to the NEA President’s Award, Kaepernick was lauded for trying to “raise awareness and provide resources to black, brown, and poor youth to ensure that they know about their rights as human beings.”
The Know Your Rights group was also praised by the NEA for its “work to fight racial oppression through education and social justice activism.”
Of note, none of the press releases mentioned some of Kaepernick’s or the Know Your Rights group’s more controversial actions.
Kaepernick, who made national headlines in 2016 when he first began kneeling and protesting during the national anthem, also drew widespread ire by wearing socks depicting police officers as pigs. In another instance, Kaepernick drew condemnation for wearing a shirt depicting Fidel Castro and speaking in glowing terms about the former Cuban dictator.
GQ Magazine named Colin Kaepernick its "Citizen of the Year." A man who is unemployed and once wore socks depicting cops as pigs. Welcome to America in 2017. pic.twitter.com/xEvDvYfUm7
— Cloyd Rivers (@CloydRivers) November 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/CorrectWinger/status/926949060107554817
The Know Your Rights group, meanwhile, has made frequent attacks on the armed sevices and the Trump administration through its social media presence.
— Know Your Rights Camp (@yourrightscamp) June 24, 2018
A white Marine, who once fought for the freedom of all Americans, is now teaching white neo-Nazis the ways of disrupting protests and lacing up combat boots to beat up activists… https://t.co/nMm0KyiJjT pic.twitter.com/s8kSqkPzOD
— Know Your Rights Camp (@yourrightscamp) June 13, 2018
Kaepernick, 30, is currently embroiled in a collusion grievance against the NFL and its owners.
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