The president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People compared San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick to civil rights hero Rosa Parks on Thursday.
“It’s a lofty name, but it’s not a stretch,” Cornell William Brooks told USA Today, referring to Kaepernick’s being the Rosa Parks of his era. “We’ll let history be the judge, how consequential Kaepernick’s action is.”
To date, Kaepernick has not been disciplined for his actions, which many Americans and military veterans have said is disrespectful to the country.
Brooks said Kaepernick’s potential legacy will be based on his next move, which the NAACP is hoping it can help him craft. Both the NAACP and Rev. Jesse Jackson have reached out to the quarterback and his representatives, but have not talked with the football player directly.
Brooks said one example of using Kaepernick’s protest for personal gain would be by motivating those who support him to vote in the election, though he did not say who he would recommend supporting.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations about how to address this issue practically and with reasonable solutions that we feel can be implemented,” Kaepernick said Wednesday, “whether it’s legislation or in the communities to make sure that these changes are happening.”
