“Colin in Black and White” is a powerful fictional Netflix series about Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is best known as the Black football player who took a knee while the national anthem played, some did not understand why he did but in  “Colin in Black and White” there is a heartfelt explanation as to why he did. 

The series takes a look at not only what it takes to make it in the sports world, but what it is to be a Black youth in a white world. It gives the perspective from a child’s eyes by showing what they see and hear. 

It starts by looking at the National Scouting Columbine, which is where football players are viewed by scouts for the National Football League. It draws a comparison between how players are viewed and how slaves were viewed at auction. This is a controversial scene that begins the series. 

In this series, Kaepernick speaks in regards to his life as a youth in a white world from what he has seen and the experiences he has gone through and the choices that were made and the reason behind it. 

Everyone from Kaepernick’s small community expected him to play baseball. There were several offers for baseball, but none for football. Kaepernick made the decision to fight for a football scholarship. After fighting so hard to earn a spot in the National Football League, he decided to make the choice to fight for Black rights by taking a knee during the National Anthem. This caused anger by some fans and other fans supported it. 

After lots of debate, the NFL chose to support this decision and support its Black players. Players are no longer required to stand for the National Anthem. For the 2021 NFL Super Bowl, the National Anthem was played and also what is known as the Black National Anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” This started with one man taking a stand against police brutality. 

The story follows a youth played by Jaden Michael as he portrays Colin Kaepernick in the series. Michael’s performance is excellent and his emotions can be felt through the screen. Kaepernick’s parents are played by Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker, who also both do a great job in their roles. But, it’s  Michael who depicts Kaepernick so well that you can feel his pain, sadness, joy, hope, determination and most of all, his belief. 

There are six episodes that vary in length between 27 minutes and 35 minutes. Each episode starts out with a look into the Black world and how it has been affected by the decisions of the white world. They are meant to understand why there is racism and how Caucasians may not see how their actions affect the world. 

This is a beautiful story about youth wanting to play sports and how the world controls it. Many people should add this series to their watchlist because it can give audience members a new outlook on small actions people take and may not realize the way they are being seen through a child’s eyes.