The NFL has seemingly embraced Colin Kaepernick’s form of peaceful protest against systemic racism and police brutality. Commissioner Roger Goodell has subsequently encouraged teams to sign the quarterback and Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said it “would be crazy” for clubs not to bring the quarterback in for workouts.
As of this writing, Kaepernick currently doesn’t have a spot on any team’s roster. But he’s capitalizing on his move back into the spotlight with the Black Live Matters movement and increased attention being paid to issues he highlighted four years ago.
On Thursday, Medium announced a new partnership with Kaepernick and his publishing company, Kapernick Publishing, to create and consult on content that will be featured throughout the website. Additionally, he will join the site’s board of directors. (As CNN’s Kerry Flynn points out, Kaepernick becomes the only minority on Medium’s board.)
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But Kaepernick’s role will largely be in producing content for the site’s Level vertical and a new blog titled Momentum that will focus on race issues and prison reform.
The bulk of Kaepernick’s direct contribution to Medium will be a “Conversations with Colin” interview series with athletes, activists, and thought leaders. Those question-and-answer pieces will be featured on the Level vertical, which is edited by former Vibe editor-in-chief and BET digital managing editor Jermaine Hall.
“Colin is one of our social justice leaders,” Hall told the Washington Post‘s Ben Strauss. “I think he’s leading the charge and it’s based on what’s going on in the country right now. And because he’s no longer in the NFL and we’ve lost his talent on the field — hopefully he gets back there — but we’ve gained an incredibly powerful voice for the black community who can actually affect social change.”
Kaepernick Publishing was launched in February to produce the quarterback’s memoir, set to be released sometime this year. (No exact release date was announced, and it’s possible those plans have been pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic.) Shortly after that announcement, Medium approached Kaepernick about a partnership, according to Strauss.