Colin Kaepernick is doing his part to help people in need during the coronavirus pandemic. On Thursday, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback went to Twitter to announce he is donating $100,000 to launch a relief fund for minorities. He believes the “black and brown” communities are getting hit with the virus.
“Black and brown communities are being disproportionately devastated by COVID-19 because of hundreds of years of structural racism,” Kaepernick said in the video. “That’s why we’ve established the Know Your Rights Camp COVID-19 Fund to help address these issues.” The money that is raised will go toward purchasing food from local restaurants, which will then be distributed throughout communities. The money will also help pay essential living costs for those who can’t afford it.
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Structural racism makes Black & Brown ppl more likely to die from #COVID19. We’ve launched the Know Your Rights Camp COVID-19 Relief Fund to directly impact the disproportionate effect #coronavirus is having on our communities. #WeGotUs 🖤✊🏾 Donate at: https://t.co/ag2euE1Qtz pic.twitter.com/aBcjKku2kC
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) April 16, 2020
Kaepernick is also looking to help communities get face protection so the virus won’t spread. And the fund will work with organizations to get prisoners out of jail and in a safe environment. According to the Know Your Rights Camp website: “Brown people represent 29% of New York City’s population and 34% of its deaths from COVID-19. The website also says in Chicago, “70% of all coronavirus cases in the city and more than half of the state’s deaths are Black people.”
While Kaepernick is making sure people are safe and healthy during the pandemic, he’s working his way back into the NFL. Last week, TMZ reported that Kaepernick is interested in signing with the New York Jets. This came on the heels of a fake report that revealed he signed a one-year $9 million deal with the team.
“I’ve been ready for three years,” Kaepernick said to reporters after the workout in Atlanta back in November. “I’ve been denied for three years. We all know why I came out here. [I] showed it today in front of everybody. We have nothing to hide. So we’re waiting for the 32 owners, 32 teams, Roger Goodell, all of them stop running. Stop running from the truth. Stop running from the people.”
The last time Kaepernick played in an NFL game was in 2016. He opted out of contract with the 49ers after the 2016 season, and he has been a free agent ever since. During the 2016 preseason, Kapernick started kneeling during the national anthem to raise awareness of the racial and social injustice in the country.
