Colin Kaepernick

(upbeat music) Today, on Street You Grow Up On, we have a very special guest. He's a leader, on and off the field. He's known for speaking his mind and for standing up for those who can't. His name is Colin Kaepernick. And on this episode, he dives into his upbringing in Turlock, California as an adopted black child in an all white family. Spoiler alert, it wasn't always easy, but he navigated a lot and manifested his way all the way to the Super Bowl. We get into it all, let's go. (upbeat music) So, I'm gonna jump right in and ask you, what is the name of the street that you grew up on? - I grew up on Pine Valley Court in Turlock, California. - So, I know Turlock a little bit. Not really, I haven't been to Turlock, but Namdi just told me that the Berkeley Bears do their case in Turlock. - Stance law. - Yes, I mean, I guess. Is that a high school or college? - It's a college. - Okay. - And that was a few blocks from my house. - Really? Did you ever watch the Bears practice? - Yes, we would go over, that was like, when Cal came to practice there, that was like the, oh, they're here. - Yeah. - Oh, they're the city. - Funny. - 'Cause growing up, it was like 40,000 people. So, a small city, and Berkeley coming down was like, we had Stan State, but they didn't have a football team. So, this was like our, oh, you get to see what D1 football looks like. That was a big moment. - So, when you think about the court, when you think about that street, what is the first thing that comes to mind? - The first thing that comes to mind would be playing basketball. So, we had a basketball who originally, we have one of the little portable ones, kept blowing over over there. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - So, you get the, you get the ramp that's like, this wide, and you can't make a shot anymore. But then my dad had, he got someone from work to come in and put like a real hoop up. - Like in your driveway? - Yeah, like they cemented it into the ground, just part of it. And that almost became like meditative. Or it was like, anytime I had opportunity to go outside and be like, I would just go out and shoot. And that was one of the things I would just do. Actually, thinking back on it, I don't know why that was just like, all right, I'm just gonna go shoot. But if other kids weren't outside of playing, or like my parents were doing something, that's where I spent most of the time would just be shooting the hell front. - By yourself. - Yeah. - Did you like basketball the most of all the sports, but how many sports did you play? - I played football, baseball and basketball. - Okay. - So, I played those three organized. - Uh-huh. - I also just played anything I could. But the, I think basketball was easiest because I could do it by myself. - Having something that you could play by yourself felt important. - Yeah, it was like, I could go out and play sports. I didn't have to rely on anybody else being out there. And initially, when we moved out there, there was a decent amount of kids in neighborhood, but they weren't always outside. So like, in the moments they weren't, it was like, I always had something to be able to go do where it was baseball or football. You need someone else to be able to play catch with. - Yeah. - So that just became like, I would put, we had this old like, stereo. And I would put music on and just go out. - What would you make? - Oh, it was anything hip-hop. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Of course. - Anything hip-hop were thrown on. And that would just, that would be me and the neighborhood just shooting. - Oops. - Yeah. - Okay, you were adopted. - Yes. - Other two siblings were adopted or not? - No. - So you were the only child who was adopted and also the only black child? - Yes. - When did both of those things occur to you at the same time, different times? - No. I knew that early on, my parents didn't try to hide it either. - So you've known the whole time. You grew up knowing you were adopted. - Yeah. - I was the thing that would have been pretty hard for them to try to hide that. I was like, yeah, I guess so, yeah. But I didn't know if you had a moment where you remember realizing it. - I don't remember a moment of like realizing it. I do have like the first document moment of expressing it, which is actually what my children's book is based around. My call to myself different was this family assignment and kindergarten. I was like, draw your family and I colored my whole family yellow and colored myself brown. And that's like the first documentation of me being like, oh, I understand them different. At that point, my parents had told me I was adopted what that meant beyond that was kind of like, I don't know, I just know this is my family and I'm the black one in my family. Yeah, aside of that, I know other families typically don't look like ours does. But I don't fully know what that means. And as you get older, you learn more and more about life. All right, what dynamics took place, what led to it and all of those things. But you know from a young age. - Were you close at all with your siblings? - Close, but the age difference was like. - Yeah, so most of the time, I mean by the time I'm getting to late elementary, like my brothers in college. But my brother was also the one when I was trying to get recruited to college. He helped me, this feels like dating myself. He had the, it was a VHS to DVD like burner. - Yeah, so you could take all your tapes from playing. Oh my gosh, and then send it in. - So we had to take the tape that we got from the school. - Yeah. - Burn it to the DVD. Burn it to 119 DVDs. And then sent them out to every college across the country. So that was, those are moments I remember of my brother, where Emma at that point, he's coming back from, actually he's out of college at that point. He's working a full time job, but also helping burn CDs. He was also the one that gave me like my early hip hop. - Really? Save more. - So he, interesting music choices. So he had like two areas of music that he dove into. There's like hip hop and like hardcore rock. So it would be like Dr. Dre, Snow, Tupac, all of that. And then it would be like corn and Maryland Manson on the other end of the spectrum. And anytime I wrote with him, like that was my exposure to music was on both sides of that. - Did your parents listen to a lot of music too? - Then when I remember from my mom, she had a phantom of the opera soundtrack. - Wow. - And that was like what she listened to in the car. - Really? - That was, that was the go-to. - Love her, a little musical theater. - And then it's some in. - So that was, and she used to always like, she was sing with it. So me being the son, my, all right. Never been to Broadway at this point. I don't know a phantom of the opera outside of like, by name in this music now, and it's my mom singing to it. So I'm like, all right, I need some different music. But I've said it's gone and seen phantom of opera. And now I'm like, yeah, this is impressive. This is really good. - At the time, did you argue about it? Like, did you ask for different music in the car? Did you have permission to change? Like, I couldn't change the station in the car without asking first. - I would always be advocating to get the music I wanted. And the like, negotiation or bridge there to be like, we'll give a little bit, was being able to get Will Smith albums. - Of course. - That was like the. - That was the entry into. - All right, it's not, we're not giving you a hip-hop, like the hardcore hip-hop. But we'll give you enough. - The family friendly parents just don't understand hip-hop, right? Yes. - So I had that and then I would sneak all the rest of my music through my brother. - That's amazing. So it was, um, all. - What were the first two albums I had? - I think it was a big Willie style. I think it was the first one. And then Willenium. - Willenium, so good, so good. (upbeat music) - Like so many of us, I wear a lot of hats. I have a lot of jobs. And because of that, I don't have a ton of free time. I sometimes listen to scripts while walking my dog to get extra steps in for both of us. 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Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at ziprecruiter.com/street. That's ziprecruiter.com/street. Meet your match on Zip Recruiter. (upbeat music) Who wore some of your mentors when you were a kid? - Me, obviously my parents are, they're guiding a lot of who I am, what I grow up to be. - Your values? - Yeah, values, how you treat people, expectations, working hard, dedication, all of those things. But when it came to navigating the world as a black boy, wasn't until I got to high school that I had a black coach and trying to think, black coach and black teachers. And the black teachers were coaches. - So it was, yeah, yeah. - Even within that, it was our two basketball coaches, Harvey Maribel and Dave Walls, were the two that I was able to get some of that from. But outside of that, there wasn't a whole lot of black folks enter a lot. So it was, select touch points. - Yeah. - There was this moment you talk about on a team, I don't remember which of your many sports it was where the coach said like, oh, you're one of the good ones. - Oh, that. - When you were a kid. - Playing baseball. - Did you know what that meant? - At that point, I was, I was more towards middle school age. So I have more insight into it. So like, I understand like what you're trying to say and what you're trying to do. - You're trying to compliment me, but. - Like this. - It's like a backhanded compliment. But it's also something that, you know, I don't have the historical context. - At that age. - At that age. No one's giving me the insight of like, all right. When you're on these teams and they're predominantly white and you have white coaches like, here are things you're gonna have to navigate and look out for. Those conversations didn't happen. So it wasn't until I got older and I'm talking with other players and then ultimately having mentors gain to a space of like, oh, I understand the dynamics of what are playing out in much more depth and detail and how this experience exists across, not just sports, but across society. - Yeah. - And then it becomes, well, these aren't things that are just happening to me. These are things that are happening more broadly across culture. - Where do you get the competitive spirit from? Was that always part of, like as a child, were you really competitive? - Yeah. I loved competing. - You loved winning or you loved competing? - Well, I loved winning. But the competing was to win. So I always won. (laughing) - Love winning. - Yeah. - Do you enjoy that competitive, that struggle to win, whether you win or not? - No, I don't like losing at all. - Okay. - I don't like losing at all. - I feel like the most competitive people don't. Here's one moment that comes to mind. So my dad played college basketball, small school Wisconsin. But he can shoot pretty good. - Okay. - So I can get this point. I'm probably like 10 years old. I'm getting closer to the place where I can beat him. - You can feel it. - I'm like, you can taste it. - I'm right there. So I would play against him. And if I got ahead, he would shoot bank shots from each side. And I couldn't hit the bank shots. Like I hadn't practiced them enough. So that was his go-to if we're playing horse. Like, all right, I'm gonna shoot these bank shots. Make sure I win. Then we can come back and start over. He kept doing it. And I got to a point. I was so frustrated. I started crying. I'm like, yeah, I'm so mad. I can't win. I can't hit this shot. Now, I also remember in that moment, my dad being like, are you gonna cry? Are you gonna shoot? So I'm out there playing horse with him, like shooting through the tears. So frustrated, mad, but also like, you're not gonna try to humiliate me for like crying. So I'm gonna keep shooting. Yeah. But it's also, I think it's also those moments of like, while that may seem like a small moment. I think those are actually really big moments. Because I could have walked inside and been like, oh, I'm done. I think that trains a different mentality than, oh, I'll shoot through the tears. If I have to, while I'm losing to try to get to the win. It's interesting because I was gonna ask you about this note card that you filled out in fourth grade. This story really resonated for me from the book. I think, particularly because I have a son in fourth grade right now. And you wrote on the note card when they were asking you all about your future that you wanted to be a quarterback for the 49ers. Yeah, that's incredible. That's wild. It is. How did you know that you wanted to be a quarterback? I knew I loved football. I knew I loved playing quarterback. And then I grew up a Packers fan. Family was from Wisconsin. So had that, but grew up in Central California. So it's like, everyone's a Niners fan. Right. So those were the two teams. And what it makes me think of is like, this, I don't know if it's manifestation or clarity of thought or focus, but seeing things play out the way they did. I mean, look, that looks and feels pressure at this point, appreciate. It also makes me think to the moment of my first, sorry, my second year in the NFL. And similar coach Harbaugh comes in and he gives everybody a little like note card and a little slave. He's like, I want you to write down your goals for the year. And he had the whole team do this. I was like, all right, I'm going to be starting quarterback. I had something else in there. And at the time you were not the starting quarterback. I was the backup quarterback at this point. It had not really seen the field at all. The year before we just went to the NFC championship game with Alex Smith starting. So I'm like, I'm going to be a starting quarterback. I wrote something else. And then one of my goals in there was I'm going to play in the Super Bowl. And those were my goals for the year. That's also the year that Alex got hurt. I came in and took over as a starter and my 10th start was in the Super Bowl. - 10th start in the Super Bowl. - Yeah. - But why didn't you write on the card, we were going to win the Super Bowl. - That's the mistake that was made. - What happened? - That was the mistake. - That was crazy. - That was the lack of clarity. - Clarity of thought is so important. Do you remember when you wrote that card in fourth grade, were you aware that there were not a lot of black quarterbacks? I don't think that consciously aware of it, but just watching football, I knew there weren't too many. Now, I didn't have full understanding of why is this the case, but trying to think of Black quarterbacks during that time period. Like, Donovan McNabb was one I was looking at. Dante Cole Pepper would have been one. I'm trying to think when when my Vic came in the league, I think that would have been after that time period. I think so. But those were those were some in that that relevant era, but there was a lot. It's like, you have a select few, but I didn't have I have a sense of, all right, here's the reason. Here's all the barriers. Here's the obstacles. Did you feel it? Did you feel the obstacles throughout high school and college, or, or was it not an obstacle for you? Um, I felt the obstacles, but I didn't. It was harder to pinpoint why at that point. Why there was resistance to you being a quarterback. Yes. Did you think of yourself as a kid as a smart person? Oh, yeah. Where did that come from? In, in part because I, I knew I tested it into like gift and talented programs into magnet programs. Now, I went to a magnet school growing up. And we put the most part throughout my going to school. I was a straight-a student. I graduated high school with a 4.5. Hmm. Was that important in your home? Oh, was it like that was not an option for me? I was like, you had to be a great student. Yeah. Now that it was also interesting, because there was more leniency with my brother and sister. But for me, I was like, no, you're, you're going to get A's. When did that come from? Um, I don't know. I just know what the expectation was for me. It was like, you, you better get A's. And I also looked at is, well, this will, this becomes a differentiator for me in trying to get to college. Because I, I also knew as I got into high school, like eligibility was a big conversation for athletes. It was one of the areas that my, my mom was very intentional about. She was like, no, you're not going to be the dumb jock. Like, you're, you're going to be well-rounded. Yeah. And that, that was something that, like, you were going to go out and get A's. And for me, I looked at is, well, this differentiates me. And for colleges, they don't have to worry about my eligibility. Like, can that help me get in the door? Right. When I was just trying to figure out, like, how do I get my foot in the door to get to college? And eventually, where I want to be. Yeah. It's interesting when I hear your mom say, I don't want you to be a dumb jock. It makes me think about how much intention and care she put around wanting to raise you to be a particular kind of kid in some ways that cause friction for you guys in some areas. Yeah. Will you give some examples of that? Yeah. Hair was another one. I had to navigate, growing my hair out for the first time. Part of this was also seen Alan Iverson. He was one of the people that that looked up to also Randy Moss on the football side. And then King Griffey Jr. on the baseball side. that were all athletes in the sports that I played that were not only exceptional at their sport and craft, but were also breaking culture barriers. For me, as I was navigating those things in my house within the community, they also became people that I could look to. And in many ways had a lot of parallels of, oh, they're having to fight these battles on a national and professional level. I can stay true to who I am within the walls of my house and my community. So they gave me inspiration in that way. And that led to me growing my hair out, trying to get braids. And that that became a major point of contention, just as I was going through that process. How I showed up, he came, well, why are you doing this? Is this a phase? You know, you don't look professional and ultimately led to a point where I had my hair braided and was like, oh, will you look like a little thug? And in those moments became like, how to naturally grow in my hair out, change your perception of who I am. And those are, those are things that, you know, I didn't have anyone to lean on to be like, all right, so what's, like, what do I do here? What's happening? Why, why is this spinning my mother out? What is she afraid of? And also, like, how do I, how do I defend and explain this as someone in middle school? How do I contextualize it historically and culturally? Do you personalize it then? Does it feel like a rejection of you in the moment? That's a good question. This is probably the area that how I do things maybe a little bit different is like, I understood my parents love me. But whether or not they love my blackness and how that showed up felt like another conversation. And having that understanding also became a space of like, well, that is part of who I am and to your point, like, not only were you trying to say about me, but were you trying to say about other people like me? Now, again, at that point in time, I'm early in the stages of figuring out the historical context of race and what this means. But I know it's a battle that's been had before. We're seeing to play out in the NBA. And at the same time for me, I don't fully know where to put this in a bucket that's clean. So get to a point that's like, well, if I'm being forced to cut my hair, I'll do it. But like, I'm not going to let that side go in many ways. So it took a long time before I got to the point of growing my hair out again. But those became more moments that were very informative. Especially as I got older, I want to know what it was like when you went into your first barbershop, an experienced community there. Oh, so the first barbershop experience came on the back of my first braiding experience. And that ultimately became a whole journey. On the back end of that, mom was like, all right, if you're going to do this, you're going to a professional. The first version I ended up at the mall would have my head braided. Got it. But that led to the barbershop. And this was the first black home or black barbershop I had been to. I don't think there are any interlock, at least to my knowledge. I've been going to supercuts. Okay, and everything shaved. Did they know what to do with your hair at supercuts? My childhood photos. are not the greatest because it is just a bus cut. There is no lineup. Yeah, there's no edges. It is. Got it. Straight just razor to the head. Got it. Yeah. First lineup did not come into college. Wow. It was a process. Yeah. It was a process. But the the black barbershop actually before even gained to the barbershop. The front of the store is a clothing store. So that sounds right. That sounds right. We multitasked. You know, black foes, we had a lot going on. Everything you want in one spot. Yeah, that's right. That's right. We're efficient. You need a shop. You need a cut. Yeah. You ready for date night. Then you're ready to go. You don't have to make another stop. That's right. That's right. Somebody's going to try to sell you some records while you're in there. So some food will come through all the things. Uh-huh. So full experience. Uh-huh. Now it's me and my mom walking into this barbershop. God bless her. I love this. So and I can tell immediately like people are looking like, All right. What's going on here? But I also, as I went to get braided, I could tell you were like, "Alright, you're good. We're going to look out for you." You felt welcomed. Oh, yeah. It was, like, immediately. It was like a sense of relief. Like, "Alright, cool. I'm good." The woman braided my hair, gave me some of the hair supplies to be able to take care of it. I had my, I had my AI do rags ready to go at home. So I was like, "I have everything ready." But he's talking about Alan Iverson. Alan Iverson, yeah. So that, that was that process. And then on the, I only went to the barber shop one time. And after that, the woman was like, "Oh, you can just come to our house." Like, I was doing it at the house, like, she just wanted to be able to see me does to make sure like there was anything weird going on. So then it became, like, my mom would drop me off at her house. Which, I appreciate a picture of, like, where she lived. Where she lived. Different from your house. Oh, very, very different. How was it different? The, the community was more of low-income community. Like, chain link fences around the houses. No, again, it feels cliche. Pitbull's in the backyard. But when I go over there, like, she would have food for me. We sit there and be like, say on the ground, she'd say on the couch, break my hair. She would throw, like, one of six in park on, like, wrap city to basement. Yeah. And mom would drop me off. I would just be there. And it was like, it was almost like that was my moment of peace. And then would come pick me up, go back, and then do it again. Would your house look different when you would go back? Would your house look different now that you had been in this other kind of house? Oh, it's different in this other kind of home. Oh, it's different in what way? Like, or like perspective. Yeah. When you came back from this house with the pit bulls in the backyard, were you more aware of coming from? Were you more aware of growing up in a home with privilege? What was your home where whiteness was the dominant culture? Where I was aware of both of those by. Family was like a middle class family. I knew we we lived in a nice house. Also had to understand, like, difference of culture and dynamics there. What do you mean? It's just a white household versus black household. But also. Interesting in the sense of like. While, while the community wasn't. Wasn't a middle class community. I also felt a level of comfort that I didn't feel. In the community I grew up in. I feel like it wasn't safe. Oh, yeah, you felt safe. That's part of that like. All right. I can breathe. It may always very similar to. And the first time I went to. Went to Africa. You know, it's like. Oh, I feel like I feel like I could just relax. I feel like I can feel the level of comfort there. Yeah. And I think part of that was also just. The. The one was incredible. Like she was always looking out the care. You need anything. And all of those things are. I think it was like I could feel the spirit of how people approach me. That was community and that was comforting. Yeah. It's interesting because I think about when a lot of stuff went down. When you started to take a knee. And people would say like, oh, he grew up in white communities. He grew up in white neighborhoods. You grew up with a white family. Like, who is he to speak out for black people? What would you say to that given how you were raised and where you grew up? I would say. One. a black man. I like, like, forgot, like, forgot. Yes, both of them. Yes. Regardless. Yeah. And if maybe to different levels, but if I didn't navigate and deal with police and deal with these issues, in similar fashions, now the starting point or entry point may be different. But the other part that I see is, like, a lot of times when I see that conversation come up, I see it a lot from white people. I see it primarily for white people, which to me is is interesting because in many ways they're telling on themselves, it's like, oh, well, you grew up and you grew up in the white family. That should, that should be the head start. Like, what are you complaining about? You know, there's more privilege than there is for black folks, like, that we, we gave you a leg up. It's almost like what the, what the position is. And it's like, okay, so you, you're acknowledging that there, there is racism. You know why I acknowledge it externally outside of that, but you want to apply it to this specific situation to try to discredit the issue that's being brought to the forefront. Your book made me think a lot about that, about what privilege can mean in different contexts, because I'll give you just two really simple examples. But one is, my son has only had his hair cut from his dad, his whole life. And so he's never struggled with his identity with his hair. In fact, it's always been a point of bonding for him with his family and his father. But when we had to put him on like seven pillows in a chamber, right? For a knob Z to be able to to cut him and edge him up. But that's, yeah, that's a, a kind of privilege. That's different from the privileges afforded to having a dad who was white, who could say, no, make him the QB. I guess nobody could say that too. But you know what I mean, like, that there's, there's a different kind of privilege to having a white parent and a different kind of privilege to having a black parent. Another example I thought of was like, my mom growing up loved Alan Iverson, loved him. Like I was like, do you have a crush on this guy? Like what, she was such a huge AI fan. Yeah. Because she was an educator. She understood the systems he was up against. She understood what he was battling. She loved that he expressed himself. And, and reading your book, I realized like, oh, that was a point of privilege for me to grow up in a home with a parent who embraced that. Even though she may not have liked every music choice that I've made, right? Like every song that that I played, but she also didn't wholly reject hip-hop because of her fears of what it would mean. Yeah. So it's, it's really interesting to think about the ways that you had privilege and the ways that I had privileged that were different. Yeah. We're different. I think the, the two piece that come to mind within that is like, typically that privilege is positioned in part financial. Yeah. But in part it is positioned as either access or process, proximity to whiteness. And it's like, well, you should get, you got the benefits of that. You're almost one of us. You're one of the good ones. Well, that, and that becomes part of the conversation of like why I think that becomes disingenuous. One, because you don't want to acknowledge the fact that there is privilege and racism that exists there. But two in part, what you're saying is like, well, you really should just assimilate further. You've had a shot to be in this tribe. Almost like we gave you the opportunity to be accepted. Like, well, why are you calling out the racism within this? Or these other issues went. So it, to me, it's like, I also had to navigate a lot of life. Figuring out situations and circumstances that other people will like, hey, I, yeah, we have that conversation since the time I was little. Yeah, you had to metabolize this by yourself. I had to navigate that. Yeah. And that, again, different dynamics of like what you have to go through. But it is like, to your point, there's, there's variations of privilege. 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And I think a lot about family systems that families are systems as well. And so when you think about sort of the struggle to be who you really are in your family, how do you think it served you in your struggle to be who you really are in the world? Oh, it made the world side easy. It made the world side easy. In many ways, a lot of what I'd seen in the world and was going to face in the world, I'd had similar battles already. With the people that you're closest to or supposed to be closest to? Yeah. And to me, I actually shared this with Bessa. I was like, look, you know the battles that I've had, like with my family around culture. I know they love me and they know me intimately. What do you think is going to be on the other side of this? I would people who don't know me. So it gave me a level of understanding as far as what to expect. And that's not say like it shows up holistically that way everywhere. But it does give you a good sense of what I'm going to have to navigate. And that showed up in our community. But it's you learn from it. And to me, I take them all as data points and then try to use those to inform where are the best actions that take in the future to make sure that gets the best possible outcome. It feels like you took the information in your home and it helped you be prepared for how people would respond to you in the world. Did it also help you have more compassion for how people responded to you in the world? People who didn't understand you or who wanted you to fit a mold that wasn't who you really were. Or more frustration. Yes and no. In part because yes, because I knew that was going to be a factor. What does that mean? I knew race was going to be a factor in your life, in your career. Yeah. And how it showed up, how people engage with me. And alongside that is they have compassion for people who may not have been exposed or didn't have information. Yeah. Yes. Because there were times that I didn't know the things I do. So I have an understanding for that and compassion for that. Where I have less is, well, now you have an understanding. You've been exposed to it. Do your actions change then? And if they don't, now you're willfully making a decision to continue that action. You're such a natural leader. When I hear you talk about this work in politics, when I hear you talk about collecting data points on the field, data points in life, like you're such a student of life and a leader of others. Where did that start? Well, first thank you. Again, just facts. Were you a leader on the playground as a kid in your classroom? I think so. But I think I think a lot of that is also trained through sport. And in many ways, playing quarterback for me, like that's demanded of you. Even if you're uncomfortable in it, it's like, well, you better get in the car, you better call the play and everyone around you better believe you or you're not going to win. So again, your dad putting you in a position, your dad believing in you and saying he should be quarterback, allowed you to step up into your own leadership. Yeah. And that grows and develops as you're going through time and going through different levels. And ultimately, by the time you reach the NFL, that also becomes another jump. In leadership, because for me, I'm stepping as a 23 year old, but there's also linemen in this huddle and other players in this huddle that might be 35. And it's like, oh, these are grown men with families. And like, this is, this isn't a game to them. Like, this is a business and a career in a profession. It's like, when you step in that huddle, they better believe you, or they're going to kick you out really, really quick. So you, you get to learn and experience that at different levels. But in many ways, it becomes a forcing function to make you lead. And if you don't, then you lose that spot. So I also think about this, not just in relation to myself, but also when I think about our daughter, it's like, all right, what are the things that I need to do to build that in her? And what, what moments of tension need to be created to allow that leadership to come out? What were the moments of tension that you think allowed your leadership to thrive? And you get a lot of moments where you're challenged by your teammates. Like, you, when you're in a hyper competitive space, like football, oftentimes it will be your teammates that will test you. And it may be in relation to a play call or a route that's run or a blocking scheme or a past protection. And in those moments, how you respond when they push back, when they push back. And some of those are, you also learned when you have to have a hard line in the sand. And say, no, I said what I said, and this is what we're running, this is what we're doing. At the same time, also having the humility to understand when they may actually know best. And in moments, there's moments in leading that you also have to follow. And this actually showed up the first game that Alex got hurt in 2012. I go into the, I go into the huddle, we're going in to score. And we had green left wing 91 bounce called. Doesn't mean, probably doesn't mean a whole lot to him. Yeah, but a certain play was called short version of this, yeah. We have more people to the left, and we were going to run ball to the left. Okay. So I get in the huddle and I call the play, no, don't run it the other way. Hmm. Immediately, they push back immediately, run the other way, we'll score a touchdown. So I remember being in a huddle, looking to the sideline, coming back in that, all right. We better score, if we better score, don't leave me asking. And we call the play the other way, the right hand side, and score a touchdown. And I remember coming over to the sideline, I was like, all right. And I can't get into a show because we scored. Yeah. And coach Harbar comes up and he's like, hey, we call green left wing 91 bounce. Like, why aren't you run that? I was like, because everyone told me in the huddle, we need to run to the right side, and we're going to score. Hmm. He goes. All right. Good job. Hmm. So also on his end, he let you understanding, like, hey, this is, understand the team dynamic of, as a quarterback, you also have to trust your teammate. Yes. And they have to trust you. And they have to trust me to be able to take their feedback and say, hey, this is actually what's best for us. Yeah. Based upon what we're seeing on the field. And for me as a young quarterback, that became, may always a defining moment of, you have to trust everyone around you, even in moments where you may not have seen it or seen what they're seen, but when you have players that have played the game, they understand the game. Those moments of leadership come through by listening, following their guide, and then giving them space to go out and execute that sense of community in the huddle. Is that the thing that makes you love football more than baseball? Oh, yeah. It's that the community. Yeah. And it's also, or that, like, community, that camaraderie in the huddle, or quarterback is also the sense of, my well-being is in their hands. If our offense line doesn't execute and doesn't play well, that's not good for me. So the level of trust there. And that's where all of the work, all of the effort, all of the reps that go in before you ever step on the field, and then going out and actually executing on that, like, that becomes something that there's no other feeling like that because the amount of work that you are pouring into it to try to get to a space of going out and winning a game. So I have something to show you. Can you tell me what's happening for those people who are just listening, will you tell us what's happening in this picture, who this is, where he is? Oh, man. This is, this is a young Colin Kaepernick in Toronto, California. This is the house I grew up in. This is also, this is our family dog, but my sister's dog specific. Kiwi. Kiwi. What kind of dog is that? Shits is? There's a Lassa opposite. Okay. Yes. Talk to me about these stonewashed jeans. It's fashion forward, fashion, we're styling out here. Young age. Yes. Also, Nike's been riding with you for a long time. This also is prescient. You know, you got to call your shots, call your shots. So great. You got a red Nike sweatshirt on. I also think these are some Nike Velcro shoes. So the Velcro, those were the best. You see on, easy on. Yes. Yes. What do you think when you look at this kid? Did you have a nickname? Bow. Bow. Like, bow knows this. Bow knows that. Yeah. After bow jacks. Really? Because I played multiple sports and when I would go to my brother's games, I would probably pick up the baseball bats, I would be shooting baskets, I'll be playing football. So it was like, oh, like bow jacks and you could do it all. I love that. So, nickname was bow growing up. Okay. So, what would this bow? What would you think about who you've become today, who you are? Oh, man. I think this bow would be like, how did you get here? Because I mean, game to play professionally, the work we've been able to do in communities, things I've had to navigate, being able to find my wife, have a beautiful daughter. I mean, at this age, I will hope that he would be proud of where I'm at today. Yeah. Yeah. And what would you say to him? What did he need to hear? Trust yourself. Trust yourself. You have to navigate a lot. Trust yourself in the process, and that leads you down the right path. Our partners at the Elevate Prize Foundation are helping us to elevate your street. They have allowed us to give every single one of our guests $10,000 to give to an organization that's working to create change and elevate the community. Yes. That is amazing. So all the way from Pine Valley Court, you get to be here and now pay it forward. Who would you like to give that $10,000 to? I'm going to choose the Lower East Side Gross Club. Oh, that's so great. They do phenomenal work. Support they give young women is incredible. They also have been partners with us on the Know Your Rights Camp side. And some of the young women there have grown to be ambassadors. They've helped us build the camp out. They've gone on and had amazing careers. So the work that they're doing is exceptional. Oh, that's beautiful. Thank you. Thank you for that. Oh, thank you. So cool. Thank you so much for being here and having this conversation. Namedi shared with me that you are one of his favorite all-time teammates. Favorite teammates of all time. And I just understand why there's so much warmth and generosity to how you're living your life. So thank you for sharing where it all begins with us. Oh, thank you. And he is one of my favorite teammates as well. That's very sweet. Me too. He's one of my favorite teammates too. Will you tell us where we can get the book, what else we should be supporting, looking for, grabbing? You can get the perilous fight anywhere, except target. The audio version is exclusive at Audible, so if you want to check it out. And do you read the audio? I read the audio book. Great. So if you enjoy the voice, go get the audio book. You can hear more. And also some really, really great sound design within it. The audio that they put in it is there incredible. So it'll be a new experience for people. And that's on Audible. That's on Audible. Know your rights camp. It's a lot of the work that we're doing directly in communities. So if people want to support there, you can go to KnowYourWritesCamp.com. Great. And that has all of our work from the camps that we do, our autopsy initiative, direct partnerships that we're doing in communities. And also have an education company that we're doing work across K-12 education, trying to bridge this literacy gap called LumiStory AI. So we're using that to be able to personalize for students and help them advance. So a lot of different areas that we're doing work, trying to make sure that we move forward. It's beautiful. So grateful. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for watching. And I think about this interview, the image that I can't get out of my head is young Colin Kaepernick in his driveway shooting hoops. trying to make sense of the world on his own. Not many of us are gonna face the challenge of what it means to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but what Colin has had to do throughout his life is make sense of situations that nobody taught him how to handle. He's so resilient, he's such a leader, he's so inspiring on so many levels. I hope that you take some of that away from this conversation. I'm so happy that you tuned in. Make sure that you follow us, like and subscribe street you grew up on. We have so many more exciting guests coming your way. So stay tuned. (upbeat music) - Your sexy alter ego name. What was your first pet? - My first pet? - Yeah. - Was it tortoise? - Named Sammy. - Okay, so your sexy alter ego name would be Sammy Pine Valley Court. (laughing) [BLANK_AUDIO]