Kaepernick Claims His White Adoptive Parents Perpetuated Racism; Mum On Nike Relations With China

During an interview this week in which he claimed that his white adoptive parents were "difficult" and had "perpetuated racism" in his upbringing, activist and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick stirred up controversy. The questionable conduct of the corporate sponsors who have given Kaepernick millions of dollars and who have been linked to slavery and child labor in their supply chains was left out of the discussion with Kaepernick.

Nike has long been accused of supporting harsh sweatshop labor in its shoe factories, and in 2018 the company reportedly negotiated a contract with Colin Kaepernick for millions of dollars annually. The Washington Post revealed in 2020 that hundreds of members of China's persecuted Uyghur Muslim minority are still compelled to construct Nike shoes despite the company's repeated promises to improve working conditions.

The non-dairy ice cream flavor "Change the Whirled" with Kaepernick's image on it is sponsored by Ben & Jerry's, a brand of ice cream well recognized for its political outspokenness on issues including racism, climate change, and its antagonism to Israel. Ben & Jerry's was named in an article published by the New York Times last month that revealed that migrant minors process the milk used to make the company's ice cream, despite its dedication to progressive ideals and ethical business practices.

When defending the company's labor policies to the Times, a Ben & Jerry's executive claimed that "if migrant youngsters needed to work full time, it was preferable for them to have jobs at a well-monitored workplace."

The Nike branding of Kaepernick reads, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything," but he choose to speak out against his "problematic" background, including his mother's criticism of his hairdo as a child, during his appearance on CBS this week.

I know my parents loved me, but there were still some really difficult things I had to go through, Kaepernick stated on Thursday. He used his mother's comment that his cornrows made him appear "not professional" and "like a little thug" as an illustration of how "racist was fostered" in his home.

By kneeling in protest during the playing of the national anthem during the end of his NFL career, Kaepernick rose to prominence as an activist. Since then, he has frequently sparked debate with his views, including his assertion that the Trump administration's death of Iranian commander and terrorist financier Qassem Soleimani was one of many "American terrorist attacks" and his assertion that the iconic Betsy Ross flag is "offensive."