Quote of the Day

It was James Baldwin who said, "To be black in America and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time." My question is: Why aren't all people? . . . How can you stand for the national anthem of a nation that preaches and propagates “freedom and justice for all,” that is so unjust to so many of the people living there? How can you not be in a rage when you know that you are always at risk of death in the streets or enslavement in the prison system? How can you willingly be blind to the truth of systemic racialized injustice?

– Colin Kaepernick
Excerpted from “Colin Kaepernick Wins
Amnesty’s Ambassador of Conscience Award”
Democracy Now!
April 23, 2018

Related Off-site Links:
Colin Kaepernick Accepts Amnesty Award on Behalf of the “Countless People” Fighting for Human Rights – Tia Berger (Atlanta Black Star, April 23).
Colin Kaepernick States That Police Engage In “Lawful Lynching” – Malcolm Wyche (Hip Hop Wired, April 23, 2018).
Kaepernick Receives the Ambassador of Conscience Award and Some Are in Their Feelings – Farida Dawkins (Face 2 Face Africa, April 23, 2018).

UPDATES: Serena Williams Praises Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid for Doing "So Much ... for the Greater Good' – Courtney Han (ABC News, September 1, 2018).
Colin Kaepernick Named Face of Nike's 30th Anniversary of 'Just Do It' Campaign – Tim Daniels (Bleacher Report, September 3, 2018).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Progressive Perspectives on Colin Kaepernick and the “Take A Knee” Movement
• Quote of the Day – November 13, 2017
• Remembering Philando Castile and Demanding Abolition of the System That Targets and Kills People of Color
• "This Doesn't Happen to White People"
• Quote of the Day – March 31, 2016
• Something to Think About – December 29, 2015
• Quote of the Day – November 25, 2015
• "We Are All One" – #Justice4Jamar and the 4th Precinct Occupation: Photos, Reflections and Links
• An Update on #Justice4Jamar and the 4th Precinct Occupation
• Rallying in Solidarity with Eric Garner and Other Victims of Police Brutality
• "Say Her Name" Solidarity Action for Sandra Bland
• In Minneapolis, Rallying in Solidarity with Black Lives in Baltimore