The former NFL quarterback is making a safe space for children of adoptive parents. This conversation was sparked by Kaepernick’s own challenges. Writer and renowned scholar Eve L. Ewing sat down with Kaepernick to dive deeper into the topic.
“It’s isolating,” Ewing began, when the discussion geared toward life as a biracial adoptee in a white home.
“I’ve had a lot of responses from other transracial adoptees on that front,” Kaepernick said.
“Just having similar experiences and having similar family dynamics that they’re trying to navigate,” he continued. “Because it is so unique, it is very difficult for people to have a nuanced conversation around it. Like, yeah, the people that love you and that you love can also perpetuate very problematic elements, and those things can exist at the same time.”
“And part of it is like, how do you grapple with that? How do you navigate that? And especially at a young age, where it’s like, are you equipped to navigate that, and are your parents equipped to navigate that?” he continued.
In his memoir, Change The Game, he discusses the challenging moments of his youth.
In an interview with CBS News last month, Kaepernick opened up about some tension with his adoptive parents Teresa and Rick Kaepernick.
“I know my parents loved me, but there were still very problematic things that I went through.”
He talked about a time that he got cornrows and his mother called the style “unprofessional” and said that he would look like “a little thug.”
“I think it was important to show, ‘No, this can happen in your own home,’ ” he shared. “And how do we move forward collectively while addressing the racism that is being perpetuated?”
Original Article: https://rare.us/sports/colin-kaepernick-opens-up-about-struggle-to-address-racial-issues-with-adoptive-parents/
