Colin Kaepernick Joins an Oakland High School Football Team in Protest Against Police Brutality

Kaepernick came to Oakland, CA. He kneeled on one knee, players laid on their back with hands up during the Anthem. pic.twitter.com/Cae4sTopac
— Kirk Morrison (@kirkmorrison) September 24, 2016

In case you've dialed off your capacity for human awareness, two black men were murdered by police recently—in keeping with the numbing consistency of the epidemic. Namely, Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, and in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where an officer has been charged with manslaughter of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed man whose car had stopped on a roadway.

Yet, despite the jarring prevalence of these murders—which, yes, disproportionately affect black people—the nation's outrage is still directed at a black man who has taken a knee during a football game. San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick continued his protest against police brutality last night—this time joining an Oakland high school football team.

On Friday night at Castlemont, a predominantly black high school in East Oakland, Kaepernick joined the football team in a "die in" protest, where players laid down on the ground and raised their hands during the national anthem. Kaepernick, in keeping with his decision to kneel, not sit, genuflected alongside them.

Prior to the game, Kaepernick visited with the Castlemont players, speaking with them prior to the game in the locker room. He told them, fittingly, "you are important. You make a difference. This matters. Everything you do matters."

Here is a video excerpt from the locker room:

Colin Kaepernick speaks to the players of Castlemont High School in Oakland before joining them in their protest. Video by Ben Arnold pic.twitter.com/x1sicDyRr3
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 24, 2016

Castlemont received attention last weekend, when players took a knee and raised their fists during the national anthem. Oakland, situated in the liberal bastion of the Bay Area, has its own rich history of protest against racism and police brutality, as it was the national headquarters for the Black Panther Party in the 1970s. Kaepernick grew up an hour and a half drive from Castlemont.

You could call Kaepernick's decision to join Castlemont a timely one, given recent events. But seemingly, there is no time that feels like a fitting one to stop protesting.