Medium Publishing Scores a Home Run with Colin Kaepernick, Medium Board Member

Medium, a publishing company comprised of 170 million monthly readers across its blogs and editorially driven publications, assets worth more than $130 million from investors

How a One Knee Setback, Became A Big Key Setup — Colin Rand Kaepernick, an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is now a free agent because he took a knee during one of his games. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League.

Wrong usually never makes a right but for Colin Kaepernick who did the right thing denouncing racism against Black men was punished for being a real man to stand up for what he believed was the right thing to do. Many supported his efforts whereas a mighty few naysayers bad mouthed his actions too the nth degree and caused his career as an athlete to come to a screeching halt a midst much protest and support.

Of late, much has changed in his life, movie deals in the works, on the cover of GQ magazine and that is only the beginning. Hooray for him. There is no stopping him now even though various teams had considered their actions against him with much regret due to the systemic racism and much unrest. How do you say, “A day late and a dollar short,” meaning the man that was now is a new man and is in demand.

There are many facets of his life that had truly caught my eye and most recent was Kaepernick joined Medium board of directors and inks partnership publishing deal. As a writer on Medium, this addition to the Medium Board speaks volume and where their accountability lies in respect to inclusion for all regardless of race or gender.

Medium proudly announced that their online platform had added the former San Franciso 49ers quarterback and civil rights advocate, Colin Kaepernick, to its board of directors spoke volume with their choice, actions and their efforts in moving forward in a world filled with systemic racism practically in every institution on this earth.

Medium sets itself aside from the rest and did so in a manner for the world to see and emulate. Their rationale behind their partnership agreement with Kaepernick was to add more visibility to projects that would champion race and civil rights in America under the umbrella of Kaepernick Publishing imprint — Kaepernick’s personal publishing company founded in 2019.

Their partnership venture with Kaepernick Publishing is to highlight and undercover racial disparity in America. Medium has definitely become a part of the solution and not the problem. Also, they are the perfect example of what America needs more of from the white house to the back house.

With so much unrest around the world, many companies need to follow Medium’s example and bridge a gap that had gotten too big to further exist. This partnership could be a viable avenue to spotlight much injustices against the African American community from police brutality, social injustices, systemic racism at the core of society, political and economic disenfranchisement of all African American communities across the country over the years and the epitome of this unfolded in the wake of the brutal and senseless death of George Floyd at the hands of a white officer, Chauvin, who placed his knee on his neck for roughly nine minutes as he cried out the now infamous words, “I can’t breathe”, and too his last breath, died as the world watched on video. The outcry globally via #BlacklivesMatter had sparked some change and much need change to come, socially, politically and economically.

While this negotiation had been in the works for some time, the timing is perfect and much needed to being a catalyst to highlight the atrocities against him and the entire population of American Americans and people of color. Kaepernick being an activist and having experienced much of what he protested is the best voice to add a reckoned voice to the reality of racism in this Country. As a board member , his voice will add to anti-Black racism and civil rights on an astronomical level, globally. #BlackLivesMatter.

Medium, its staff, investors, membership and all supporters, like myself awaits Kaepernick stories on Medium as they are going to change the course of the world for a better place for all to live as he educate the world in a positive way for change from a country that had its roots embedded deeply in racism and on the backs of all people of color. He is in the position to highlight the voices of leaders, activists, athletes, entertainers and many more powerful people on a global platform. Kaepernick as a medium board member will create an avenue and voice for other Black writers and creators to being more prominent on a prominent publishing medium to aid the abolition of racism in america.

I have been a writer on Medium for one year and a half and often time wanted to quit for various reasons but now with Kaepernick being on the Medium Board, I am so encouraged to remain to be apart of the new future of medium.

In conclusion, Medium has many publications that assist writers in gaining more visibility, i.e. Zora and Level, who targets African American men and women. Their publications are diverse from politics, power, culture, technology, healthy self help , business focused and advisory. If you are a writer, editor or member continue for this is a new day and a new way for a Medium as they champion equality for all.

EP McKnight a writer, teacher, stage playwright, fitness coach and constant dreamer. She is a GCU doctorate student in Performance Psychology, Graduate and Undergraduate in Educational Psychology and Communications at Fordham University New York, New York. She’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and you can read more of her on www.epmcknight.com