From NPR · · 1m 20s
Ten years after the knee, Kaepernick keeps fighting
A decade after Colin Kaepernick knelt during the anthem, he sits down with Fresh Air to talk about the fight he is still in.
In brief
A decade after Colin Kaepernick knelt during the anthem, he sits down with Fresh Air to talk about the fight he is still in. The protest was a moment, but Kaepernick has spent ten years turning it into ongoing work, and he is still at it. Originally reported by NPR.
A decade since the knee
September 2026 marks ten years since Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem. NPR marks the anniversary by asking where he is now.
Still in the fight
The headline is the point: he has not moved on. Ten years later Kaepernick is described as still waging what he calls a 'Perilous Fight'.
“Colin Kaepernick is still waging a 'Perilous Fight'”
Borrowed from the anthem
That phrase comes straight out of the Star-Spangled Banner, the same song he knelt through. He took the country's own words and turned them back on it.
Filed under Race
NPR runs this on its Race desk, not sports. The kneeling was never really a football story, and the coverage reflects that.
Tonya Mosley asks
The conversation airs on Fresh Air with Tonya Mosley, running 44 minutes. Long enough for the full arc rather than a soundbite.
Hear it yourself
The full interview streams on NPR and through the usual podcast feeds: Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music and iHeart. Worth the 44 minutes.
The bottom line
The protest was a moment, but Kaepernick has spent ten years turning it into ongoing work, and he is still at it.
