Martin Luther King Jr. would not likely be pleased to see such a divisive figure using his position as a professional athlete to promote a violent and threatening movement funded and promoted by politicians to divide our nation Colin Kaepernick s football career remains very much a question mark, but he s already left an impression on American culture, as his jersey and other gear from his protests in 2016 are now in the hands of the Smithsonian.The Smithsonian s National Museum of African American History and Culture continuously collects items of historic significance from African Americans involved in all phases of American life, and the sociologist and author Harry Edwards encouraged the museum to take a close look at Kaepernick. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback drew nationwide attention last year when he knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality in America.In September, 2016, the union for police officers who work San Francisco home games threatened a boycott of policing the stadium after the 49ers refused to discipline Colin Kaepernick for not standing during the national anthem and for his statements about law enforcement. If the 49ers organization fails to take action to stop this type of inappropriate behavior it could result in police officers choosing not to work at your facilities, the letter reads.  The board of directors of the Santa Clara Police Officer s Association has a duty to protect its members and work to make all of their working environments free of harassing behavior. It also criticized what it called anti-police statements made by Kaepernick, calling them  insulting, inaccurate and completely unsupported by any facts. Edwards arranged for the donation of a jersey and other equipment to the Smithsonian, but did so with a request.  I said,  Don t wait 50 years to try to get some memorabilia and so forth on Kaepernick,  Edwards said, according to USA Today.  Let me give you a game jersey, some shoes, a picture.   And it should be put right there alongside Muhammad Ali. He s this generation s Ali. Daily Wire   Adopted by white parents in Wisconsin, Kaepernick is the biological child of a white woman and a black man. He was born in 1987.Kaepernick explained his refusal to stand for the Star-Spangled Banner, expressing solidarity with the net-marxist racial narratives of Black Lives Matter: I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder. Kaepernick describes himself as a black man in a society that  oppresses black people. Kaepernick s refusal to stand for our national anthem was considered anything but brave by many of his fans. Here s a picture of a fan burning Colin s jersey, a trend that was started shortly after Kaepernick used his position to promote the violent Black Lives Matter movement on the field as the other players honored our nation:Kaepernick remains unsigned even as players like Ryan Fitzpatrick sign deals, and there is, of course, the question of how much his very public and very controversial political stances may be harming his marketability.   Yahoo 