Colin Kaepernick, the NFL player and originator of the gesture of taking a knee before sports matches, has excitedly revealed that he is preparing to publish a book dedicated to the abolition of police and prisons.
Sports teams, public figures and even police officers around the world have followed Kaepernick's act of symbolism, which he began by sitting during the national anthem while playing for the San Francisco 49ers against the Green Bay Packers in 2016.
Now better known for being a social rights activist than a quarterback, Kaepernick is officially looking for a team for what could be his first season since leaving the 49ers that year.
In the meantime, the icon of the Black Lives Matter movement is continuing to energetically devote much of his time to the political causes he feels so passionately about.
The publishing company Kaepernick has named after himself, he has revealed, is about to release its first book since its founding in 2019, called 'Abolition for the People: The Movement for a Future Without Policing and Prisons.'
"This anthology builds on decades of organizing and writing against policing and prisons and features the work of over 30 contributors, plus a reader’s guide, infographics and cover art," the 33-year-old free agent publicly explained to his millions of social media followers, presenting the front cover of the book, which shows a black activist holding up a sign reading "abolish the police" and "close the prisons".
"I'm proud to have edited this collection and hope it adds to the chorus of voices calling for a world without and beyond policing and prisons."
The concept of taking a knee has been continuously divisive since Kaepernick first performed it, from former US president Donald Trump threatening to boycott events and calling for bans on teams who made the gesture to elite football clubs adopting the move and subsequently becoming involved in contentious debates over its value and whether it should be continued.
"[Kaepernick] is my hero," said one huge fan. "I’m a 67-year-old white guy, so I’m sure I’m just a little bit woke... I’ve seen a lot and I don’t like what I see. When he started taking a knee, I was so damn proud."
Others vehemently disagreed, leading to vigorous arguments over how the abolishment of penitentaries and forces might be achieved and what the ensuing steps might be for society.
"Ugh. Should have just stuck with the kneeling and you'd be a legend," said one weary critic. "Now you're taking this so far, it's just another woke joke."
Many of the writers involved spoke of their "honor" and "thrill" at contributing to the book, with extracts shared by Kaepernick likening the idea of a "humane" police force to attempts to apply that description to slavery.
"Police forces in America began as slave patrols," began one part of the anthology revealed by Kaepernick on Twitter. "Their primary function has always been to act in service of the white ownership class and its capitalist production."
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