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via Imago

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Long before June 24 became ‘Colin Kaepernick Day,’ he was already showing up for Orange, New Jersey. Alongside Mayor Dwayne D. Warren, Esq., Colin Kaepernick brought his Know Your Rights Camp to the city for a student leadership workshop. The former NFL quarterback spoke directly to kids, listened to educators, and helped shape a program rooted in equity, expression, and empowerment. It wasn’t just a celebrity drop-in. There was continuity and buy-in. So when the mayor recently dedicated a day in Kaepernick’s name, it wasn’t just a ceremony; it was a long time coming, all tracing back to 2016. 

That was when Kaepernick first took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice. The act was silent, but the fallout was anything but. He finished that season a free agent, never getting signed again. Critics called it disrespectful. Supporters called it brave. And while the headlines came fast, the league moved faster away from him. But he wasn’t the first to pay that price, still. 

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf had already been there. In 1996, the NBA guard refused to stand for the anthem and was quietly pushed out. “When I saw Kap kneel,” Rauf said in 2022, “my mind was like, he’s getting ready to get it, right?” And Kap did. Endorsements vanished. NFL calls stopped. But he didn’t apologize; he just kept going. That’s what makes this moment feel different. 

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On June 24, the City of Orange, New Jersey, made it official. Inside a packed auditorium at Orange Preparatory Academy, they formally declared the date ‘Colin Kaepernick Day.’ Yes, that Colin Kaepernick—the one the NFL once dismissed as too “system-specific,” yet whose name continues to echo through every debate about sports and protest. The announcement came during the school’s 8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony, where Kaepernick appeared as a surprise guest speaker.

“For his unwavering commitment to youth empowerment, education, and equity, our co-founder, Colin Kaepernick (@kaepernick7), was honored today with an official proclamation, declaring June 24th as ‘Colin Kaepernick Day’ in the City of Orange, NJ. Mayor Dwayne D. Warren, Esq., presented the proclamation in front of a packed auditorium,” Know Your Rights Camp shared on Instagram. He didn’t just attend—he made an impact.

“He delivered a message that shook the room, rooted in courage, purpose, and the power of trusting your voice and believing in yourself,” the camp wrote. For a group of middle schoolers, it wasn’t the kind of speech they usually hear—especially not from someone with a Netflix doc, a Nike Emmy, and a Super Bowl résumé. But that’s exactly who showed up for the Class of 2025.

And it wasn’t just a speech. The City also honored him with a formal proclamation in which Mayor Warren described Kaepernick as a “global change agent,” highlighting his work with Lumi, his AI-powered storytelling platform, and commending his long-standing efforts to uplift youth through media and education.

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What’s your perspective on:

Does Colin Kaepernick deserve another shot in the NFL, or is his legacy already cemented?

Have an interesting take?

And yet, that work extends far beyond one city. Since leaving the NFL, Kaepernick has launched and funded programs across the country:

  • Legal defense and youth seminars: Through Know Your Rights Camp, he launched a Legal Defense Initiative offering free legal representation to individuals unjustly arrested during protests—most recently mobilized after the Tyre Nichols case—and ran regular seminars teaching Black and Brown youth their rights, U.S. history, and civic empowerment.
  • COVID‑19 Relief Fund: In April 2020, he personally seeded the fund with $100,000 and channeled over $1.75 million to support pandemic-stricken communities—providing food, PPE, rent/housing assistance, bail support, and grants to 13 local nonprofits in cities hardest hit—Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, St. Louis, and Milwaukee among them
  • Autopsy Initiative: Launched in 2022, this program pays for free independent second autopsies in police-related or in-custody deaths, covering costs up to $13,600 per case and coordinating with a team of board-certified forensic pathologists—so far funding over 100 cases—while Kaepernick reviews each request personally 
  • Community camps and tech outreach: The camps he launched in Detroit, Philadelphia, and elsewhere blend financial literacy, mental health, coding, and wellness—guest speakers have included Jemele Hill and Mike Africa Jr.—and attract thousands of young people with an immersive curriculum

None of this is about brand-building. It’s about staying in the work, even when the spotlight dims.

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But, despite it all, he hasn’t closed the door on football. In 2023, after Aaron Rodgers went down with an Achilles tear, Kaepernick wrote to the New York Jets offering to join their practice squad. Not the starting role. Just a shot. “You don’t just walk away,” he said. 

He’s 37 now, still training, still waiting. “There will never be an instance where I’m not ready.”, he says, but the league hasn’t called. But in one New Jersey city, there’s now a date on the calendar—June 24—that tells a different kind of comeback story. One you can’t measure in yards or wins, but in classrooms, communities, and kids who now see his name not as controversy, but as conviction. 

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"Does Colin Kaepernick deserve another shot in the NFL, or is his legacy already cemented?"

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