Growing up with his adoptive parents, Colin Kaepernick’s childhood was far from easy. With the release of his new book, Kaep sat down with Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil, of CBS Mornings for an eye-opening discussion. As outlined in his book, Kaepernick didn’t have the greatest relationship with his adoptive parents, who are white. Kaep shed light on some of the troublesome things his mother, Teresa Kaepernick, would say.
“I know my parents love me, but there were still very problematic things that I went through,” he confessed on CBS Mornings.
In his book, Kaep emphasized that he thought “it was important to show [readers] that, ‘No, this can happen in your own home.’ And how do we move forward collectively while addressing the racism that is being perpetuated.”
In one instance, Kaep has a recollection of an incident where he wanted to get cornrows, inspired by his favorite athlete, Allen Iverson. But his parents weren’t too fond of the idea, despite their son being bi-racial. Kaep had always identified as Black, and his parent’s disapproval of the cornrows inspired him to crown his head with a natural afro. He even reveals the highly offensive comment his mother made about his hair decisions, “you look like a little thug.”
Written by @Kaepernick7 and @eveewing, and illustrated by @caicedo, COLIN KAEPERNICK: CHANGE THE GAME is an inspiring high school graphic novel memoir about a young change maker who learned to find himself and never compromise. pic.twitter.com/1zS2yVHLn3
— Scholastic (@Scholastic) March 5, 2023
The graphic novel truly depicts Kaep’s relationship with his parents, his upbringing throughout his teenage years and his early start in football.I n comparison to his previous book, “I Color Myself Different,” Kaepernick explains how this new book “deals with more complex issues.”
“The common thread, however, is creating books that give power and agency to the readers, specifically, Black and Brown youths.”
