{"id":334092,"date":"2017-07-05T09:49:24","date_gmt":"2017-07-05T09:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=334092"},"modified":"2017-07-05T09:49:24","modified_gmt":"2017-07-05T09:49:24","slug":"colin-kaepernick-celebrates-quest-for-true-independence-on-trip-to-ghana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/07\/colin-kaepernick-celebrates-quest-for-true-independence-on-trip-to-ghana\/","title":{"rendered":"Colin Kaepernick celebrates quest for true \u2018Independence\u2019 on trip to Ghana"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In an Independence Day message, NFL quarterback\u00a0Colin Kaepernick\u00a0questioned the value the\u00a0Fourth of July\u00a0holds for black Americans, since the United States was founded on the backs of African-American slaves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHow can we truly celebrate independence on a day that intentionally robbed our ancestors of theirs?\u201d Kaepernick\u00a0wrote on Twitter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He instead touted the liberating effects of a recent visit to what appeared to be\u00a0Ghana.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cTo find my independence I went home,\u201d he finished the tweet.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A minute-long video Kaepernick included in the tweet shows various clips from a trip he took with his partner Nessa Diab: villagers welcoming him as he helps them with a building project, a visit to a municipal hospital in the city of Keta, and footage of a European-built slave-trader castle on\u00a0Ghana\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It wasn\u2019t clear from the video if his trip included other countries, or if he would be releasing more footage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A representative for Kaepernick did not immediately respond to a\u00a0HuffPost\u00a0request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kaepernick\u2019s commentary echoes the famous thoughts of the great author and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, in his famous\u00a01852 speech,\u00a0\u201cWhat to the slave is the fourth of July?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In fact, the video begins with the voice of a narrator reciting one of the speech\u2019s lines: \u201cWhat have I or those I represent to do with your national independence?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The remainder of the video is set to the music of Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder\u2019s song \u201cEvery Ghetto.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As a back-up quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick made waves in August 2016 when he began a\u00a0months-long protest\u00a0against racial injustice by refusing to stand for the national anthem before games.\u00a0Initially he sat the anthem out entirely, but after a discussion with an NFL player who\u00a0served in the military, he changed the gesture to a kneel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,\u201d Kaepernick said by way of explaining his decision after the first protest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The move inspired other\u00a0football\u00a0players and\u00a0student athletes\u00a0to follow Kaepernick\u2019s model in protest over police brutality toward people of color and other injustices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kaepernick also pledged to donate\u00a0$1 million\u00a0in charity to underserved communities. As of June, he had given\u00a0$700,000.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kaepernick\u00a0opted out\u00a0of his contract with the 49ers in March, becoming a free agent. He has yet to be signed by another team.<\/p>\n

–<\/p>\n

Source: Huffingtonpost.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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