Colin Kaepernick and Eve L. Ewing, co-authors of the former NFL quarterback’s graphic novel «Change the Game,» spoke Thursday about the responses they received from readers of the book.
Kaepernick, who criticized his white adoptive parents earlier this month, told Ewing that he received a lot of feedback about different family dynamics.
Colin Kaepernick interacts with fans before Michigan’s spring football game at Michigan Stadium on April 2, 2022 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Jaime Crawford/Getty Images)
«I’ve gotten a lot of responses from other transracial adoptees on that front. Like having similar experiences and having similar family dynamics that they’re trying to navigate,» the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback said. «And I think it’s because he’s so unique.
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«It’s very difficult for people to have a nuanced conversation around being, like, yeah, the people who love you and who you love can also perpetuate very problematic elements, and those things can exist at the same time. And part of it is, like , how do you deal with that? How do you navigate that? And especially at a young age? And it’s, like, are you equipped to navigate that and are your parents equipped to navigate that?
His comments came after he accused his adoptive parents of «perpetuating racism» in an interview with CBS. She recalled disagreements with his parents that he blamed on racism and called their upbringing «troubled.»
CONTROVERSIAL FORMER NBA PLAYER SAYS COLIN KAEPERNICK HAD ‘THE GREATEST FREEDOM’ HE FELT AFTER THE ANTHEM PROTESTS
Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass during the first half against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 24, 2016 in Los Angeles. (Sean M Haffey/Getty Images)
«I know my parents loved me. But there were still very troublesome things that I went through,» the biracial former quarterback told CBS News.
«I think it was important to show that no, this can happen in your own home and how we collectively move forward as we tackle racism that is being perpetuated.»
Kaepernick illustrated a specific example of this in the novel, describing a fight he had with his parents during high school over his hairstyle.
Inspired to braid his hair in braids like his hero, NBA star Allen Iverson, Kaepernick recalled being rejected by his parents.
«He’s getting what rolls?» says his mom in the graphic novel.
Kaepernick said that after doing her hair this way, her mother suggested that her hair was «unprofessional» and that she «looked like a little thug.»
The former soccer player turned social justice activist said these adolescent interactions helped shape his decisions as an adult to accept his ethnicity.
ABC News Studios presents a screening event of «Killing County» from executive producer Colin Kaepernick in Burbank, California on February 9, 2023. (Phil McCarten/ABC via Getty Images)
«Those become spaces where it’s like, ‘OK, how do I navigate the situation now?’ But it has also informed why I have long hair today,» Kaepernick told CBS.
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Kaepernick drew national attention when he began protesting during the national anthem, taking a knee on the field during NFL games to protest police brutality and racism.
Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.