Black Power in the Spanish League: What Vinicius Jr learned from Colin Kaepernick

Vinicius Jr. made a bold statement during the Valencia CF and Real Madrid at Mestalla last week – a raised black power fist. It seems the Brazillian star is looking to ignite a battle against racism in Spain's La Liga; inspired by what Colin Kaepernick did in the NFL in 2016.

In fact, the two have actually met and discussed their ideologies.  In Februay 2024, the current Real Madrid winger and the former 49ers quarterback met at Vini's house in Madrid. Organized by Nike, the meeting centered around the issue of racism in sport, something both stars have battled on different fronts.

"Today was a very, very special day for me. Hearing and being able to know the story of a man who has been fighting so much against racism has been unforgettable for me. Thank you very much, Colin. Your story is truly inspiring and I recommend everyone to watch his documentary on Netflix," Vini Jr shared on his Instagram account.

In his message, Vinicius also thanked Nike, the brand that sponsors him, for the opportunity to meet Kaepernick: "This day and my conversation with Colin will have a great impact on my future life to make this a better world and more egalitarian," added the footballer.

Kaepernick, for his part, was also full of praise for the football star, sharing via his Instagram account: "my brother Vinicius is changing the world."

But who is Kaepernick and why has he become an inspiration for Vinicius Jr.? The American quarterback, born in Milwaukee in 1987, spent his entire professional career with the San Francisco 49ers – between 2011 and 2016 – and since then has risen to fame as an activist against racism.

Kaepernick popularized a gesture against police brutality in the United States towards African-American people that became known worldwide as a symbol of protest: standing with one of his knees on the ground before the start of games as the American national anthem played.

That symbol was repeated all over the planet in many sports fields, such as football, where a large number of players – especially in the English Premier League – also adopted it in the moments before kickoff. It became even more famous in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of an American police officer.

Shortly before becoming known worldwide for his gesture, Kaepernick was already known for his activism, especially through his 'Know Your Rights Camp' (KYRC), a campaign to raise awareness among young people about education, financial literacy, how to interact with law enforcement or the Black Lives Matter campaign, among other issues.

And, from all of this, 'Colin in Black and White' emerged in 2021 – a six-episode Netflix miniseries created by Kaepernick himself.  The show explores his high school years and the experiences that led him to become an anti-racism activist through a dramatized recreation.

And that experience is precisely what Kaepernick discussed in depth with Vinicius Jr., who, since last year especially, has become a prominent figure in the fight against racism on football fields.

The key moment in which this really started for the Brazilian was in the match that Real Madrid played against Valencia in Mestalla on May 21, 2023 in which he experienced racial abuse at the hands of some Valencian fans.

Around the 70th minute of that match, Vinicius, tired of hearing how they called him a 'monkey' and continually made primate sounds from the stands, stood in front of them and pointed directly at the people who were doing it.

The controversy increased after the Brazilian accused the Valencian fans of being racist, and as a result has found himself something of pariah in that city – and in some media, which dedicated more than debatable covers and headlines to the star forward.

Numerous Spanish journalists – especially those with an anti-Madrid tendency – in different media downplay the insults that the Brazilian attacker usually receives, and claim Vini is merely a provocateur. But therein lies the eternal question: is it the victim's fault if he provokes a response?

And although the focus has been especially on Valencia, there have been many Spanish football fields in which the Real Madrid forward experienced racism from the stands.

One of the most disgusting displays happened in Madrid and before the altercation in Valencia, when some unscrupulous people hung a black doll dressed in the white team's shirt from a bridge next to a banner that said 'Madrid hates Real' – four radical Atlético de Madrid fans were arrested in connection with the effigy.

All this has led Vinicius to flaunt his anti-racist stances on the pitch, the penultimate chapter of which saw his raised fist directed at the Mestalla stands. A gesture that some praise and others once again call provocative.

At all times, Vinicius has received the support of his teammates and especially coach Carlo Ancelotti, who in the press conference after that 2023 match already made his position clear regarding everything that happened: “If a stadium shouts monkey at a player something bad happens. He didn't want to continue, I told him it's not his fault. (…) I told him: 'You are the victim,” he said, as reported by AP.

Vinicius' case is not unique in La Liga. There have been recent attacks on social media against the Valencia player Peter Federico. While footballers such as Mouctar Diakhaby, Marcelo, Iñaki Williams or Samuel Eto'o, have all publically discussed receiving racial abuse from the crowds so intense it made them want to leave the field.

Perhaps what many footballers should do is forget about their colors and the fans and stand up for players who are constantly ridiculed for their skin color. Vinicius, like Colin Kaepernick did in his day, is doing this and saying enough is enough, and making a statement in the most public way possible  – on the field in front of millions of people.

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