Netflix's recently released limited series Colin in Black and White and a spirited debate on the talk show The View reminds us about Colin Kaepernick.
We are reminded that at 34, he should be using his considerable athletic prowess on the field for the National Football League.
We are reminded that it would have been easy to have gone along to get along, minded his own business, and just played football.
But we are reminded that Colin Kaepernick decided to take a stand to raise awareness of police brutality, racism, and inequality.
And we are reminded that he has paid for his choices by being blocked from doing what he loves most.
When we think of Kaepernick, we must think of America, and of its many contradictions.
We must consider that America positions itself as a haven of freedom and liberty, yet is willing to take away the ability to earn their preferred livelihood.
We must contemplate the fact that on a daily basis, words enshrined in the national laws and supposedly in the national consciousness - words like "all men are created equal" are shown to be cruel jests.
We have to ponder the fact that many "patriotic" citizens of the United States place higher value on symbols like the American flag or the National Anthem than they do human beings of the wrong color.
Cynics and critics, who abound, say that he has made a lot of money from his activism, that if NFL teams thought he could help them, they would employ him without hesitation.
They would tell you that he made his choice to be a disloyal American who shows contempt for our national pride.
They would tell you that he could have earned a magnificent living if he'd kept his opinions to himself.
Here's what they wouldn't tell you:
They won't tell you all Colin Kaepernick ever wanted to do was to play football. That he switched to playing football fulltime after having a stellar career as a high-school baseball player. He's a gifted athletes.
Athletes want to ball out in the sport of their choosing.
Athletes don't consciously plan taking civil rights detours.
The cynical and critics won't tell you that he felt compelled to speak out - the same way that all activists, regardless of profession, are forced by situations and circumstances to raise their voice against oppression.
The cynics and critical will also ignore the inconvenient fact that NFL teams are constantly recycling has-been and never were quarterbacks.
There are two differences between these other quarterbacks and Colin Kaepernick.
The second difference is that he is a lot more talented than most of the others.
The first difference is unspoken, but not unknown.
When you think of Colin Kaepernick, you must keep in mind that he is and will be okay.
His dignity and self-respect have been and will be intact.
For those who say that his actions were un-American and unpatriotic,
For the professional sports league that has consciously and unconsciously banned him,
And for those who would rather remain silent about this nation's injustices because it helps them to sleep better at night,
They aren't and won't ever be okay.