Colin Kaepernick Says His Braids Sparked Conflict w/ His White Adoptive Parents: ‘You Look Like A Little Thug’

Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick Says His Braids Sparked Conflict w/ His White Adoptive Parents: ‘You Look Like A Little Thug’

Colin Kaepernick’s desire to wear braids sparked family tension that raised deeper questions about how his white adoptive parents viewed his Black identity.

On Kerry Washington’s “Street You Grew Up On,” the former NFL quarterback discussed finding inspiration in Black athletes.

“Hair was another one,” Kaepernick said. “[I] had to navigate growing my hair out for the first time.”

“That led to me growing my hair out trying to get braids,” he said. “And that… became a major point of contention just… as I was going through that process.”

“How I showed up became like, well, why are you doing this? Is this a phase? You know, you don’t look professional,” he recalled.

“Ultimately led to a point where I had my hair braided and was like, ‘Oh, well, you look like a little thug,’” he said.

Haircuts meant “getting everything shaved,” while braiding appointments became “almost like my moment of peace.”

Michael Vick later suggested a “clean-cut” appearance. Kaepernick responded by posting “Stockholm Syndrome.”

“I understood my parents love me,” he said, “but whether or not they love my blackness and how that showed up felt like another conversation.”

Kaepernick is promoting his memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” released September 15.

TJB Crew, have you read Colin’s book?