Colin Kaepernick was awarded by Amnesty International for his continued work opposing racial injustice, multiple outlets reports.
Kaepernick was in Amsterdam on Saturday to receive the 2018 Ambassador of Conscience. It is the organizations highest human rights award.
NPR’s Teri Schultz reports that when the former San Francisco 49er accepted the award, he said he was sharing it “with all of the countless people throughout the world combating the human rights violations of police officers.”
It is believed that his kneeling during the national anthem during NFL games to protest racial injustice in the country cost is the reason why he hasn’t been able to sign to another team.
“Racialized oppression and dehumanization is woven into the very fabric of our nation — the effects of which can be seen in the lawful lynching of black and brown people by the police, and the mass incarceration of black and brown lives in the prison industrial complex,” Kaepernick said, per the Associated Press.
Kaepernick joins a group of distinguished individuals who have won the Ambassador of Conscience award.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela, who worked diligently to end Apartheid and Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who championed for girls to get a proper education even after being shot by members of the Taliban have previously won the award.
