In promotion of his new book, former NFL quarterback and race activist, Colin Kaepernick is complaining that “black liberation” is not possible under capitalism.
Kaepernick has found himself in the news once again for coauthoring an anthology titled, “Our History Has Always Been Contraband: In Defense of Black Studies.” The book contains a variety of essays that highlight feminist theory, queer studies, abolition, reparations, and more. Kaepernick wrote the book with two, self-described Marxist professors: Professor Robin D.G. Kelley from UCLA and Professor Keeanga-Yahmatta Taylor.
“I’ve long admired Keeanga and Robin’s work as well as their uncompromising political analysis and understanding that Black liberation simply isn’t possible under capitalism,” Kaepernick said. “I think the anthology makes this argument quite well, and I hope it challenges readers to see that racism is not white supremacy’s only ingredient. White supremacy persists in part because of its relationship with capitalism, heteropatriarchy, ableism, and so on.”
The release of this book comes after the state of Florida passed the “Stop Woke Act,” a piece of legislation designed to prevent schools from teaching that one race is more “inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive” than another. Kaepernick addressed this by stating that his book is similar to the type of books that Florida Governor Ron Desantis would want to ban.
“Black Studies and, more generally, a critical engagement with U.S. history, threatens the white supremacist status quo. Any attempt to whitewash the past should actually be understood as a concrete step toward fascism and a desire to build a nation state where power is concentrated in the hands of a self-anointed (read: white) few. “
Colin Kaepernick in an interview with New Republic
Kaepernick acknowledged that both himself and his co-authors are “anti-capitalists.” He stated that “black liberation” is not possible under capitalism because it promotes white supremacy. But the hypocrisy of this claim is clear: The former quarterback is a multi-millionaire who has made a career from the NFL and various sponsorships. Kaepernick is reported to have a net worth of $40 million. His home in Las Vegas, Nevada is a spacious mansion valued at $5.4 million.
The anthology is the second book that Kaepernick has written this year. Last March, Kaepernick released his graphic novel memoir titled “Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game.” Kaepernick gained criticism during the release of his graphic novel after he accused his adoptive parents of “perpetuating racism.”
