In his acceptance speech for the Ambassador of Conscience Award at the Amnesty International ceremony in Amsterdam on Saturday, former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick described police killings of African Americans and Latinos in the U.S. as "lawful lynchings."
Kaepernick was introduced by former San Francisco 49ers teammate Eric Reid and honored for his peaceful protesting of racial injustice during the national anthem in 2016, which sparked a movement in 2017 and likely has kept him jobless ever since.
"Racialized oppression and dehumanization is woven into the very fabric of our nation," Kaepernick said in his speech. "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.
"How can you stand for the national anthem of a nation that preaches and propagates, 'freedom and justice for all,' that is so unjust to so many of the people living there?"
Previous recipients of the award Kaepernick won include anti-Apartheid campaigner and South African President Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who campaigned for girls' right to education even after surviving being shot by Taliban militants.
"In truth, this is an award that I share with all of the countless people throughout the world combating the human rights violations of police officers, and their uses of oppressive and excessive force," Kaepernick said in the speech.
