Two years after first taking a knee on the sidelines of a preseason NFL game during the national anthem in an act of protest against police brutality and institutionalized racism, Colin Kaepernick stood on stage at Harvard University to accept a 2018 W. E. B. Du Bois medal.
The award is administered by the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University, and is generally considered one of the highest honors “awarded to individuals in the United States and across the globe in recognition of their contributions to African and African American culture and the life of the mind.”
Kaepernick was one of eight recipients at Thursday evening’s ceremony, and the only athlete. Since his peaceful protest began, thousands of athletes at every level of competition across the country have staged similar demonstrations on the sidelines before games, often during the national anthem.
