Colin Kaepernick and Nessa Diab on new book “We Are Free, You and Me”: NPR

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick continues to build on his accomplishments Civil rights work spurred by the decision to kneel during the national anthem at the start of the 2016 season.

His protest against police violence sparked months of intense national debate about activism and sports.

Kaepernick's decision came at a cost — he remained without a contract after that season — but it also gave him a new platform as an activist, author and, more recently, as a father.

Parenting and activism alongside his wife and media personality Nessa Diab have inspired a new children's book: We are free, you and me,
will be released this month.

The cover of We are free, you and me by Colin Kaepernick and Nessa Diab, illustrated by Gladys Jose.

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The two spoke with NPR's Michel Martin Morning edition about her new book, Parenthood and Football.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Michel Martin: Colin, I'll start with you because this is your third book written for children or young adults. So what I'm saying is you had this focus before you became a parent and you were just wondering how that passion came to you and is it different now that you're a father?

Colin Kaepernick: A lot of the passion actually came from the work we did with the Know Your Rights Camp. Well, being a father – this children's book “We Are Free You and Me” with my wife Nessa – and all of this culmination has really resulted in a beautiful book that we hope young children can embrace, internalize and use as a foundation for them go forward.

Martin: Nessa, how would you describe this book to other parents?

Nessa Diab: You're going to feel joy, you're going to be happy, you're going to be empowered, you're going to feel, you know, empowered and communal. This is one of the many things I'm proud of because there's simply nothing you can't achieve with the right support system. And I feel like community is that for most people.

Martin: Well, like you said, it's colorful, it's happy. But I have to say, there are some powerful concepts involved. One of the passages says:

“Your truth is your strength, like the roots of a tree, trust in your strength.

You have the right to be free. The right to freedom is something we share.

But life can be hard and not always fair. Imagine a future that is better.

We can build a new world. We will do it together.”

These are not simple concepts. I mean, the idea of ​​imagining a different world is difficult for many adults. And I'm just wondering how you feel, especially the little ones will take this. I'd love to hear from both of you about this, especially now that you have your own focus group at home, right?

Kaepernick: Exactly. How we approached it was how we adopted many of the principles Know your rights that focuses on the older age group, the work that we've done in communities, and how do we get that into a position where our target audience of 3 to 8 year olds can read this? Like, “Oh, I'm starting to grasp these concepts of how I can act in the world and what rights I have, what I can do, what I should strive for.” And to get to the point: I think , one of the reasons it's difficult for us adults to even grasp some of these concepts is because they're taken away from us at such a young age. But when we give a very young generation this idea of ​​possibilities and a better future, they don't have to rewire their own minds and the rhymes and the lyrical nature, we want it to be fun, we want it to be enjoyable, but we also want to convey the extremely powerful message that children can carry with them.

Martin: Nessa, what do you think?

Diab: I agree with everything Colin said. And I think when I was younger I would have liked that message. I mean, the messages came in different ways, but I hope that distilling empowering messages in a very beautiful and simple way will stay with our daughter forever.

Martin: Colin, what's wrong with you? Are there any of these freedoms that you wish had been instilled in you growing up?

Kaepernick: Yeah, I think what stands out to me is the first passage that you read and that starts the book. “Your truth is your strength. Like the roots of a tree. Trust your strength. You have the right to be free.” To me, that is such a fundamental message of one’s power to one’s identity. And then how you actually express that and how that shows up in the world. That was my personal situation. But we also pointed out in this book that everyone will have their own cases where people put different pressures on them or different perceptions or prejudices, and that this is probably not because of them or what they do, but rather on how someone else perceives them. So trusting in who they are, trusting in their own power and their own truth and what they believe in and really pushing that forward. And if we do this with the best intentions towards a better future, we will go a very long way.

Martin: I hear a little person in the background. Is this your…person, your little person? Your focus group?

Kaepernick: That's our daughter running around.

Martin: Like you said: freedom to move, freedom to play.

Diab: That's right.

Kaepernick: Exactly.

Martin: Actually, that's one of the things that stood out to me: “You have the freedom to move. You have the freedom to play.” There's research that shows that children of color – particularly black children – grow up become. Many observers see them older than their years and treat them accordingly, so that they shouldn't actually be children. I was wondering if that was part of your thinking when you put the message there – that you are allowed to be a child.

Kaepernick: Absolutely. Giving the children the space to just be children, as if they weren't perfect. They will play, they will explore.

Martin: They will invade your interviews.

Kaepernick: She is having the time of her life.

Martin: Colin, before I let you go, I have to ask: It's football season. Do you miss it?

Kaepernick: Oh, I'll miss it forever. And I continue to train for it. At the end of the day, I don't want to be in a situation where I look back and wonder if I gave it my all to achieve this. I will make sure that the reason I'm not playing is not because of my work ethic or commitment, but because I was stopped from doing so.

This article was edited by Obed Manuel.