Ava DuVernay, More Back #ImWithKap Ahead of Super Bowl LIII

By Erin Nyren

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – As the hours to Super Bowl LIII tick down, some celebs have shown their support for a different cause using the hashtag #ImWithKap.

The hashtag refers to former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began the “take a knee” protest among NFL players and has subsequently been blacklisted from the NFL.

Ava DuVernay tweeted that she will “not be a spectator, viewer or supporter of the #SuperBowl today in protest of the NFL’s racist treatment of @Kaepernick7 and its ongoing disregard for the health + well-being of all its players. To watch the game is the compromise my beliefs. It’s not worth it. #ImWithKap”

Common also used the hashtag to quote activist Angela Davis after his organization, Imagine Justice, tweeted an image of her wearing an #ImWithKap jersey.

“I’m no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I’m changing the things I cannot accept,” he wrote.

Nick Cannon used the hashtag to urge others to donate to Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp, a free campaign that the former quarterback founded to educate youth on higher education, self-empowerment, and how to interact with law enforcement.

Lena Waithe also shared the image of Davis wearing the jersey alongside a fist emoji.

While Jenifer Lewis didn’t use the #ImWithKap hashtag, she did include #TakeAKnee in her post of a song she wrote for Jussie Smollett. “You want a standing ovation, take a knee for the next generation,” she said in the video.