Colin Kaepernick is a football quarterback and civil rights activist who gained widespread attention for protesting police brutality during the national anthem at NFL games. But who are his parents?
Colin Kaepernick is the biological son of Heidi Russo, a white woman, and an African American father, who separated before he was born. He was adopted into a white family when he was 5 weeks old by Rick and Teresa Kaepernick.
Read on to learn more about Colin’s upbringing and his ever supportive parents.
Biological Parents
Colin was born on November 3, 1987 to Heidi Russo, who was 19 at the time and whose pregnancy was unexpected. Colin’s biological father was of Ghanaian and Nigerian ancestry, but the couple separated prior to his birth.
Speaking to Fox Sports about giving Colin up for adoption, Russo said, “it is the toughest decision I’ve ever made, but for him it was the right decision”. She added, “I wasn’t in the position to give Colin the life I wanted him to have”.
Colin’s adoptive parents would initially send Russo letters and pictures of him growing up, but Russo asked them to stop as she found them too painful.
As for Colin, he firmly considers his adoptive parents as his family, and has expressed his disinterest in a reunion with his birth mother.
The Kaepernicks
Rick and Teresa Kaepernick began thinking about adoption after tragically losing two sons to heart defects.
While they already had two healthy older children, a son named Kyle and a daughter named Devon, Rick and Teresa knew they needed another child to complete their family unit.
Colin was adopted at just 5 weeks old in December 1987, and grew up as one of the Kaepernicks’ own, fully supported in his sporting ambitions.
Neverending Support
Speaking at a Dear Mama event Colin said, “I know it seems ironic that a white woman from Wisconsin would be the one who parented me, but like I tell her all the time, you chose me and you’re stuck with me”.
Colin insists that his mother’s love was unwavering and her support constant, recognizing the difference between a biological parent and those that raised him and nurtured him.
Colin and the Kaepernicks have been very open about the difficulties that arose as he was growing up and the prejudice they often encountered because of their different skin colours.
Speaking in an interview with his adoptive mother on VH1, Colin spoke about the challenges of growing up as a bi-racial child in a white family: “You have a family that you love, but you know you don’t look like them”, adding “at a young age I understood I was different, but I didn’t know what that meant”.
Over the years, the Kaepernick’s would have to silence whispers from strangers who didn’t realize he was their child and have been steadfast in their support of his actions.
When he received criticism for his tattoos, Rick and Teresa expressed their frustration to USA Today, “instead of saying that Colin does all these great things and donates his time to children, this guy is going to make him out like a gangster. Really?”.
Regarding his political protest during the national anthem, his mother told The Undefeated, “I just want to be on the record that we absolutely do support him”.
Colin summarized his love for his family by saying of his life with them, “I think that’s just been a constant journey for us, but it’s been one that we’ve worked through and we’ve always been very loving in the process, and I wouldn’t do it with anyone else.”
Clearly, his parents will always be there on the sidelines with their love and support.
Watch Colin speak about his adoptive parents and their support in the YouTube video below.