Ten Years On: Kaepernick’s Kneel and the White-Backlash Era

Ten years after Colin Kaepernick knelt to protest police violence, this piece argues that white backlash hardened into a culture war that co-opted protests, purged dissent from sports and politics, and effectively ended the era of athlete activism; Kaepernick’s act is framed as a warning that racial equality remains contested in America rather than a completed victory.