Colin Kaepernick will join the likes of numerous African American icons as he will receive Harvard's highest honor in African and African American studies, the university announced on Thursday.
Kaepernick, along with seven others including comedian Dave Chapelle, will receive the W.E.B. Du Bois medal "in recognition of their contributions to African and African American culture and the life of the mind." Kehinde Wiley, the artist who painted Barack Obama's official portrait, will also be among the recipients for the October ceremony.
Past award winners include Muhammad Ali and Maya Angelou.
Kaepernick is still out of the NFL two seasons after he began kneeling to protest police and racial injustice. His actions spurred dozens of others to protest throughout last season and the early portion of this season. President Trump has fanned the hot-button issue and
politicized the peaceful protest while deriding the NFL
from his Twitter account.
Kaepernick was the centerpiece of Nike's 30th anniversary for
their "Just Do It" campaign, and his efforts earned him
Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience award in April.
