Colin Kaepernick to Receive Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award — What Is It For?

Colin Kaepernick has risen to become one of the most inspirational civil rights activists of the 21st century. To add to his recognition, he is set to receive an award for his bravery.

Earlier this week, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights announced its laureates for the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award. Amongst the laureates was Kaepernick.

The Ripple of Hope Award for 2020 recognizes people who have given their time and efforts to advancing justice, equality, and human rights. Past winners of the award include President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook, and more.

In the press release, Kerry Kennedy, the President of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, explained that America yearns for leaders. She highlighted that these laureates are people who have shown great hope that the future can be much better. 

Speaking on the honor, Kaepernick remembered being in the audience as the association honored singer Harry Belafonte for the same award. He added,

“I am humbled to follow the footsteps of individuals like Mr. B and to be in the company of all the other laureates. Thank you for this prestigious award.”

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Though I never had the pleasure of meeting Muhammad Ali, he mentored me without ever meeting me. He in many ways laid the foundation of what I saw as the zenith of athlete-activism and perfecting the utilization of your platform as an athlete to force conversations about how America was not living up to what America professes to be. Lonnie Williams, the wife of Muhammad Ali was in attendance tonight. I am equally honored to share this space with her. She once said that, “Muhammad’s legacy is not just for me and his children and grandchildren, it’s a legacy for the world.” I accept this award, not for myself, but on behalf of the people, because if it were not for my love of the people, I would not have protested. If it were not for the peoples willingness to support me, I would not be on this stage today. Thank you very much to Sports Illustrated for the honor of the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. I am humbled and honored to share this with the people. 📸: @KarlFergusonJr

A post shared by colin kaepernick (@kaepernick7) on Dec 5, 2017 at 9:47pm PST

Kaepernick burst onto the civil rights scene back in 2016. Playing as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, he sparked a national movement when he began kneeling for the national anthem.

While Kaepernick’s action was to protest police brutality in the country, many criticized him for disrespecting the anthem. Despite the uproar, he persisted.

Besides Kaepernick, another notable award laureate is Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Kaepernick has dedicated his life to drawing awareness to racial justice initiatives, especially for Black and Brown communities. He achieves this through the Know Your Rights campaign.

Of course, this has come with a price. The former quarterback has been out of the NFL for years and hasn’t made it back into the league.

Despite all of this, he has yet to let any of the challenges get to him. Kaepernick has continued to be an inspiration for other athletes, who have also joined him and raised their voice to support his movement. 

Besides Kaepernick, another notable award laureate is Dr. Anthony Fauci. The immunologist serves as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is the country’s leading voice amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

For the better half of the year, Fauci has given himself to helping guide the country out of the novel coronavirus maze. He has also faced criticism from several quarters, with many expressing their disdain for the imposition of lockdowns and travel restrictions. 

Despite all of that, Fauci’s counsel has proven to be invaluable to the government at this time. Fauci and Kaepernick are joined by other notable names like, Dan Schulman, the President of PayPal; Dan Springer, the CEO of DocuSign; and Dolores Huerta, a notable labor rights leader.