On Friday, October 29th, Netflix released Colin in Black & White, a limited series directed by Ava DuVernay and produced by Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick. This series follows the early life of Kaepernick as he deals with the obstacles of growing up as a mixed-race child in an all-white environment.
Kaepernick narrates throughout the show while dropping valuable tidbits of black history.
NFL Draft & Slave Auction Comparison
Before the show starts, Colin conveys his feelings on the NFL draft and its similarities with the slave auction. There is a scene where he depicts athletes running up and down the football field with coaches on the sides, timing their speed. He also shows what it’s like being physically examined before the draft. “Before they put you on the field, teams poke, pry and examine you, searching for any defect that might affect your performance. No boundary respected. No dignity left intact,” he entails. He then pauses as the athletes walk off the field in a single file line. The scene then transitions, showing the athletes transform into men with chains and shackles strapped to their bodies. As they reach the auction or “draft,” they are then sold to the highest bidder. At the end of the scene, the slave master and the coach shake hands.Â
The episode begins.
Episode 1: Cornrows
If you are well aware of Colin Kaepernick and what he represents, you know that his hair is a significant part of his symbolic stature. Whether he’s rocking the cornrows or afro, his hair makes a beautiful statement. In the first episode, he shows us his experience of getting his hair cornrowed for the first time and the negative impact it had on the people around him.
His adopted parents, who are white, did not seem to understand Kaepernick’s reason for wanting to cornrow his hair. There was a scene where Colin’s baseball coach called his parents and told them that if he’d like to continue to play baseball, he’d have to cut his hair. He begged his parents not to cut his hair, but his parents told him that his hair was unprofessional and that cutting his hair would be the best option. In the last scene, it showed him getting his hair cut.Â
Colin in Black & White is an excellent show to binge. Although I have not watched the entire series yet, I can honestly see this being one of my new favorites.