Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has touted the liberating effects of a recent visit to Ghana, whiles condemning the celebration of Independence Day in the U.S.
The 29- years-old, who remains a free agent after being released by the 49ers this offseason, tweeted a minute-long video on Tuesday of a trip he took to Cape Coast Castle, a former slave trade hub in Ghana.
In an Independence Day message, NFL quarterback questioned the value the Fourth of July holds for black Americans, since the United States was founded on the backs of African-American slaves.
"How can we truly celebrate independence on a day that intentionally robbed our ancestors of theirs?"Kaepernick wrote on Twitter.
“To find my independence I went home,” he finished the tweet.
A minute-long video Kaepernick included in the tweet shows various clips from a trip he took with his partner Nessa Diab: villagers welcoming him as he helps them with a building project, a visit to a municipal hospital in the city of Keta, and footage of a European-built slave-trader castle on Ghana’s coast.
It wasn’t clear from the video if his trip included other countries, or if he would be releasing more footage.
Kaepernick created controversy last season when he chose to kneel during the playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" as a way to protest police brutality against minorities.
Born in Milwaukee and raised in California by white foster parents, Kaepernick said he knelt during the national anthem because he would not "stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."
The former NFL quarterback has been outspoken about injustices, and has commented on several court verdicts and other social issues since his decision to for kneel during the National Anthem prior to 49ers games, which drew national attention.
Some have questioned if Kaepernick is now more interested in social issues than continuing his football career. It seems as though the timing and content of latest tweet could add more fuel to that fire.
As a back-up quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick made waves in August 2016 when he began a months-long protest against racial injustice by refusing to stand for the national anthem before games. Initially he sat the anthem out entirely, but after a discussion with an NFL player who served in the military, he changed the gesture to a kneel.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said by way of explaining his decision after the first protest.
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