“Black-ish” actress Jenifer Lewis eschewed the traditional Emmys gown in favor of a more casual look — but of course, she had a reason.
Lewis stepped out in a custom sweater by Nike to thank them for using former professional quarterback Colin Kaepernick in a recent commercial, she told Variety.
“I am wearing Nike to applaud them for supporting Colin Kaepernick and his protest against racial injustice and police brutality,” she told the publication. “Thank you for leading the resistance! We need more corporate America to stand up also.”
Kaepernick played quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers for six seasons, and in his final year in the league, 2016, he refused to stand for the singing of the national anthem. Explaining that he was protesting police brutality and the mistreatment of people of color, it wasn’t long before other NFL players joined his protest.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
Kaepernick became a free agent after the 2016 season. No other team signed him.
In the new Nike campaign, the football player says, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”