Jobless Colin Kaepernick reaches one million dollar charity target

Colin Kaepernick, American football quarterback and free agent, just announced via Twitter that he has reached his #MillionDollarPledge campaign which he started in September 2016 to give back to charities focused on helping their communities.

Colin Kaepernick has been “unemployed” since he officially opted out of his contract with the 49ers on March 3, 2017. He became a national figure when he opted to kneel during the U.S. national anthem in September 2016 in protest of police shootings of black men Terence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott, explaining in a post game interview that, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder”. 

Still, though unsigned, Kaepernick has been silently donating to over 40 charities these last two years. To further his cause, Kaepernick embarked on the #10for10 project where he teamed up with other celebrities to spotlight causes they are passionate about. Artists Chris Brown, Jhene Aiko, Snoop Dogg, Joey Badass, Meek Mill (who donated while in jail) and TI, actor Jesse Williams, and athletes Serena Williams, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry all donated $10,000 which Kaepernick then matched. In the final day of the campaign, singer/songwriter Usher Raymond donated $10,000 to the charity, Helping Oppressed Mothers Endure, to help single mothers facing hardship. 

Sport media company, SB Nation, compiled a comprehensive list of Kaepernick’s 1 million campaign efforts below:

October 2016
Silicon Valley De-Bug ($25,000)
Causa Justa/Just Cause ($25,000)
Urban Underground ($25,000)
Mothers Against Police Brutality ($25,000)

November 2016
Black Youth Project (25,000)
Gathering For Justice/Justice League ($25,000)
Communities United for Police Reform ($25,000)
I Will Not Die Young Campaign ($25,000)

December 2016
UCSF for “The Mni Wiconi Health Clinic Partnership at Standing Rock” ($50,000)
Appetite for Change ($25,000)
Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation ($25,000)

January 2017
Black Veterans For Social Justice ($25,000)
350 Global Environmental Organization ($25,000)
Center For Reproductive Rights ($25,000)
CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles) ($25,000)

February 2017
Meals on Wheels ($50,000)
Somalia Famine Relief ($50,000)

March 2017
Life After Hate ($50,000)
Leaders Of A Beautiful Struggle ($25,000)
Silence Is Violence ($25,000)

April 2017
Assata’s Daughters ($25,000)
Helping Oppressed Mothers Endure (H.O.M.E.) ($25,000)
Grassroots Leadership ($25,000)
American Friends Service Committee ($25,000)

May 2017
The Dreamville Foundation ($34,000)
Lower East Side Girls Club ($33,000)
100 Suits For 100 Men ($33,000)

June 2017
DREAM (Formerly RBI Harlem) ($25,000)
Coalition For The Homeless ($25,000)
Justice League NYC: War on Children Program ($25,000)
United We Dream ($25,000)

10×10
DeBug San Jose ($20,000 with Kevin Durant)
The Advancement Project ($20,000 with Jesse Williams)
United Playaz ($20,000 with Steph Curry)
Mothers Against Police Brutality ($35,000 with Snoop Dogg)
Imagine LA ($20,000 with Serena Williams)
Angel By Nature ($20,000 with TI)
Schools on Wheels ($30,000 with Chris Brown, Jhene Aiko)
Communities United By Police Reform ($40,000 with Nick Cannon, Joey Badass)
Youth Services, Inc. ($20,000 with Meek Mill)
H.O.M.E, linked above ($20,000 with Usher)

In 2017, Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL alleging that its owners have colluded to keep him out of the league. Later that same year, rapper-mogul P.Diddy revealed his plans to buy an NFL team and sign Kaepernick, a plan the quarterback supports.

Kaepernick also runs the youth-centered Know Your Rights Camp campaign within the larger Colin Kaepernick Foundation to “fight oppression of all kinds globally through education and social activism”. Kaepernick also visited Ghana last year in an effort to trace his ancestry.