A mixed race man with close-cropped beard and large afro faces the camera.
Colin Kaepernick’s new memoir, ‘The Perilous Fight’ details the path that led the athlete and activist to take a knee in 2016.
(Amari Kenoly for Kaepernick Publishing)
Ten year ago, before a preseason football game against the San Diego Chargers on Sept. 1, 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel during pregame performances of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Fed up with the extrajudicial killings of Black people in this country, Kaepernick took a knee and also took a stand. While it brought much-needed attention to an issue plaguing our society, it also drastically changed the course of Kaepernick’s career. Months later, the former Super Bowl quarterback was effectively pushed out of the NFL for his weekly quiet protest; he would later successfully sue the NFL for collusion, alleging that teams blackballed him and former teammate Eric Reid.
Now, a decade after first quietly taking a knee in protest, Kaepernick is speaking about his journey, as he shares his new book with the world.
Eli Harold (from left), Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers kneel in protest during the national anthem prior to a game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on Oct. 6, 2016, in Santa Clara.
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, Berkeley’s Black Repertory Group will open its doors, allowing audience members a chance to hear Kaepernick discuss his new memoir, The Perilous Fight (Hachette Book Group). Each attendee will also receive a signed copy of the book, which covers Kaepernick’s upbringing in Turlock, his experience as a professional athlete, and how he found footing in the world of activism.
Kaepernick will be in conversation with comedian and award-winning host W. Kamau Bell; they’ll be joined that evening by appearances from the former head of the Black Panther Party’s Oakland Community School Ericka Huggins and Black Panther Party illustrator Emory Douglas.
The event is backed by the National Association of Black Bookstores and hosted by Oakland’s Marcus Books. The collaboration between Kaepernick, one of the most high-profile activists of the last decade; the Black Repertory Group, founded in 1964 as one of the longest-running African American theatrical organizations; and Marcus Books, the United States’ oldest bookstore specializing in African American literature, is a rare confluence of greats.
Colin Kaepernick's book 'The Perilous Fight'.
Colin Kaepernick’s book ‘The Perilous Fight’ publishes Sept. 15, 2026.
It is also, according to Marcus Books owner Blanche Richardson, “the direct result of the work of the National Association of Black Bookstores (NAB2).”
In an email to KQED, Richardson gives credit to NAB2, which is only in its second year of existence, for coordinating Kaepernick’s book tour with the publisher. “[NAB2] demands equity in sending Black authors to Black bookstores where their fan bases are,” writes Richardson.
Kaepernick has signed thousands of bookplates for this tour, so all ticket-holders will receive signed books. There will also be Q&A session after the conversation with W. Kamau Bell.
“All are welcome to have their pictures taken with the author,” Richardson adds, noting that VIP tickets have sold out and regular tickets are selling fast. “We will be adding a number of lesser-priced tickets for seats in the ‘overflow’ room once the $50 tickets are sold out.” (The overflow crowd will also receive signed books and be able to take photos.)
Kaepernick’s rare public appearance outside of his foundation, the Know Your Rights Camp, is part of a book tour that will also stop at the Guild Theater in Sacramento on Sept. 21 and the Ebell Dining Room in Los Angeles on Sept. 22.
Oakland’s Marcus Books regularly hosts convenings with authors and cultural figures. In the coming month they also have events with civil rights attorney and activist Walter Riley on Sept. 6, author Deborah Santana on Sept. 20 and poet Kevin Powell (with KWC Complex Jazz Trio) on Sept. 26.
Colin Kaepernick discusses his book ‘The Perilous Fight’ at the Black Repertory Group Theater (3201 Adeline St., Berkeley) on Sept. 22, 6–8 p.m. Check here for further information.