Colin Kaepernick Donates $800,000 to Help Oppressed Communities

Former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, known for kneeling in protest before games, has pledged $800,000 "to organizations working in oppressed communities," USA Today reports.

Kaepernick began his "Million Dollar Pledge" in October.

"I will donate one million dollars plus all the proceeds of my jersey sales from the 2016 season to organizations working in oppressed communities, 100k a month for 10 months," he wrote on The Colin Kaepernick Foundation's website.

He announced on Instagram Tuesday that so far he's contributed $800,000 to 100 Suits for 100 Men, Lower Eastside Girls Club, and J. Cole's Dreamville Foundation, adding that he hopes to reach $1 million.

The Million Dollar Pledge is still going strong! $800k donated, $200k to go! This month I donated $100k to these organizations fighting oppression and uplifting our communities: 100 Suits for 100 Men, Lower Eastside Girls Club and J. Cole's Dreamville Foundation. Two more months to go til I complete my Million Dollar Pledge. See where all the donations have gone on www.kaepernick7.com. "You can kill a revolutionary, but you can never kill the revolution." -Fred Hampton

A post shared by colin kaepernick (@kaepernick7) on Aug 22, 2017 at 11:06am PDT

The quarterback, who is currently a free agent, began kneeling during the national anthem to express his view that the United States is "a country that oppresses black people and people of color," as he told NFL Media last year. Kaepernick has faced difficulty in finding a new team despite his ranking, according to ESPN's QB Tiers survey, only dropping slightly over the past year.

"He's keeping his promises to folks of color," Kevin Livingston, leader of 100 Suits for 100 Men, which provides suits to recent parolees, told SB Nation. "To the people mocking Colin, my five words are: What have you done lately? What are you doing for the cause? If you aren't doing something, what gives you the right to question that man?"

• Browns' Players Kneel in Prayer During National Anthem
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