NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM TO HOST COLIN KAEPERNICK BOOK TALK ON THE PERILOUS FIGHT

Ticketed event, presented with the National Association of Black Bookstores, activates the continued legacy, courage, and determination of today’s Civil Rights Movement

Memphis, TN, Sept. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM) today announced a book talk with Super Bowl quarterback, bestselling author, and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick, featuring his new memoir, The Perilous Fight. The ticketed event will be held on October 8 at 6:00 pm at the Museum and is presented in partnership with the National Association of Black Bookstores.

During the conversation, Kaepernick will reflect on his own journey and the broader history of Black athletes who have used their platforms to challenge injustice, confront systems of power, and advance social change.

Blending personal reflection with the history and legacy of athlete activism, the conversation will explore the choices, sacrifices, and consequences that can accompany taking a public stand. Through themes of identity, courage, protest, and collective action, Kaepernick will consider how a single act can resonate far beyond the individual and become part of a larger movement for change.

"Colin Kaepernick's story belongs in that tradition of the modern Civil Rights Movement, which is why his image is in our Legacy Experience,” said Dr. Russ Wigginton, Museum President. “Protest is only the beginning of the work. We're proud to share this conversation about what it takes to keep fighting for the future we all deserve."

In The Perilous Fight, Kaepernick delivers a defining, uncompromising memoir of his development as an elite, suddenly dispensable NFL quarterback and the relentless, high-profile civil rights activist he has become. The book traces his path from Turlock, California, where Kaepernick, a Black child adopted into a white family, navigated constant resistance to his Blackness and sense of self, through a football career that carried him to the Super Bowl and into the history books. On September 1, 2016, Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem. The Perilous Fight tells, for the first time in his own words, why and at what cost that moment happened, and the decade of consequences and continued advocacy that followed.

Booklist gave the book a starred review, calling it "a candid, observant, generous chronicle of his development as an elite, suddenly dispensable NFL quarterback and also of the relentless, high-profile civil rights warrior he's become."

Colin Kaepernick is a Super Bowl quarterback who holds the all-time NFL record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback. He is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and civil rights activist. He is the founder of the Know Your Rights Camp, Kaepernick Media (formerly Ra Vision Media), Kaepernick Publishing, and Lumi Story AI. His honors include Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award, the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science, and Sports, and the ACLU Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award, among many others. His series “Colin in Black and White,” co-produced by Ava DuVernay, has won two NAACP Awards, and his Nike "Dream Crazy" campaign won an Emmy. He has been featured in GQ, Men's Health, TIME, Sports Illustrated, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, and “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” among many others.

General admission is $40. VIP tickets are $75 and include an autographed copy of The Perilous Fight and a brief photo line opportunity. With limited capacity, the event is expected to sell out quickly. Tickets are available at civilrightsmuseum.org.

About the National Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. Since the Museum opened in 1991, millions of visitors from around the world have come annually. The Museum is steadfast in its mission to honor and preserve the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. It chronicles the American civil rights movement and tells the story of the ongoing struggle for human rights, serving as a catalyst to inspire action to create positive social change. A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum is recognized as a 2019 National Medal Award recipient by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS), the top national honor for museums and libraries.

– civilrightsmuseum.org –

Connie Dyson
National Civil Rights Museum
901-527-1225
cdyson@civilrightsmuseum.org