The Kaepernick Effect: How Taking a Knee Sparked a Movement
Online Townhall with Dave Zirin
In 2016, amid an epidemic of police shootings of Black people, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began a series of protests on the field, refusing to stand during the U.S. national anthem. By taking a knee, Kaepernick’s simple act spread like wildfire throughout American society, becoming a powerful symbol of resistance to the systemic racism in this country.
Join us to discuss with author Dave Zirin about his latest book The Kaepernick Effect: Taking a Knee, Changing the World, as well as sports and resistance in the recent period. Dave Zirin is the sports editor of The Nation, a columnist for The Progressive, and the host of the Edge of Sports podcast. His many other books include A People’s History of Sports in the United States, Game Over, Bad Sports, and Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports.
Speak Out Now organizes regular public townhalls as a means to present our ideas and activities. We frequently invite speakers who have an expertise in their field, which we do not have, or activists who have participated in social struggles where we were not present. We have had speakers both from the U.S. and other countries.
The speakers we invite, for the most part, are not revolutionary socialists and do not share our political and organizational perspective. And we may have disagreements with their ideas and practice. Nonetheless, we think it is valuable to provide an exposure to the expertise and experience of other voices than our own.
