Series Review: "Colin in Black & White" (2021).

"Some play the game. Others change it." This is Colin in Black & White. This drama series created by Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick narrates this drama series recounting his formative years navigating race, class and culture while aspiring for greatness.

On November 3, 1987, American civil rights activist and a former quarterback, Colin Rand Kaepernick, was born. Kaepernick played college football for the Nevada Wolf Pack, where he was named the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Offensive Player of the Year twice and became the only player in NCAA Division I history to amass ten-thousand passing yards and four-thousand rushing yards in a career. After graduating, he was selected by the 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Kaepernick began his professional football career as a backup quarterback to Alex Smith, and became the 49ers' starter in the middle of the 2012 season after Smith suffered a concussion. Since 1994, he then remained the team's starting quarterback for the rest of the season, leading the team to their first Super Bowl appearance. During the 2013 season, his first full season as a starter, Kaepernick helped the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game. Over the next three seasons, Kaepernick lost and won back his starting job, with the 49ers missing the playoffs for three years consecutively. In 2016, in the 49ers' third preseason game, Kaepernick sat during the playing of the U.S. national anthem prior to the game, rather than stand as is customary, as a protest against racial injustice, police brutality and systematic oppression in the country. The following week, and throughout the regular season, Kaepernick kneeled during the anthem. The protests received highly polarized reactions, with some praising him and his stand against racism and others denouncing the protests. The actions resulted in a wider protest movement, which intensified in September 2017 after President Donald Trump said that NFL owners should "fire" players who protest during the national anthem. Kaepernick became a free agent after the season and remained unsigned, which numerous analysts and observers have attributed to political reasons. In November 2017, he filed a grievance against the NFL and its owners, accusing them of colluding to keep him out of the league. In February 2019, Kaepernick withdrew the grievance after reaching a confidential settlement with the NFL. In 2020, his protests received renewed attention amid the George Floyd protests against police brutality and racism, but he remains unsigned by any professional football team.

The series stars Jaden Michael, Mary-Louise Parker and Nick Offerman with Kaepernick narrating. All of the actors are phenomenal, but special attention has to go to Haden Michael, who is a revelation as Kaepernick. While the acting was riveting and heartbreaking, the dialogue can sometimes be too on-the-nose. It's jarring but luckily, doesn't take away anything from the show.

The series can get overly sentimental, and it's oddly trippy at the end, but it's still a tour de force of a show that is unrelenting in its message; and topped off with a beautiful, rousing, hopeful ending.

Simon says Colin in Black & White receives:

Also, see my review for When They See Us.