“Black is beautiful” is the tagline of the new Netflix original Colin in Black and White. Here’s all you need to know about the 6 episode miniseries based on Colin Kaepernick’s struggle as a black man.

Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick are two of the most influential black people of their generation. Both of them have revolutionized their respective fields. And the two icons will be working together in a Netflix Original “Colin in Black and White“!

Here’s the trailer of the biopic miniseries awaiting its release on Netflix on 29th October 2021:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej42P9FTwZg&ab_channel=Netflix

What is ‘Colin in Black and White’ about?

Colin Kaepernick was a young black boy set to make his mark in the field of football and the NFL. He had supportive folk, natural talent, and the required determination. Things could’ve been smooth for Colin had it not been for, well, racism.

With white adoptive parents, Colin always assumed he’d inherit his parents’ “white privilege”. The reality check was rather harsh for him as his career and aspirations were on the line just because of his skin color.

With Jaden Michael playing young Colin, the Netflix original is about the former San Francisco 49ers NFL quarterback-turned activist who tackled all obstacles of class, culture, and race.

Other issues the miniseries deals with

The miniseries isn’t just about racism. It isn’t just another famous person biopic. Co-creators and executive producers Ava DuVernay and Kaepernick worked together to build something the audience would resonate with, irrespective of their race, color, or class.

“The goal was to take the kernel of the idea and make it mean something to viewers whether they’re watching in Detroit or Dubai, Shreveport or Senegal,” says DuVernay. She continued, “This is how the idea of weaving cultural and historical context with the young person’s story came to my mind.”

In an extremely heartening interview, Kaepernick says:

“This was an opportunity to open a window into experiences inspired by my high school years. I want Black and Brown kids and their communities to find guidance in how we can combat racism and oppressive systems. I hope someone can see that they too can come out on the other side and be able to say, “I faced those struggles. I’ve worked through them, and I was able to be successful and come out the other end, keeping my dignity and my identity intact.”

Other similar projects to watch

While Kaepernick is new to the field of filmmaking, DuVernay has been a favorite of both fans and critics for over a decade. It is said that an artist and activist are not so far apart. And Ava has certainly lived up to these words.

She gained critical acclaim as a director with “Selma”, a film about the 1965 marches for voting rights, led by Martin Luther King Jr. Her miniseries, “When They See Us”, took the entertainment world by storm with 23 million views on Netflix within the first month of its release. It was about the wrongful conviction of 5 young Black and Latino boys in the central park jogger case.

Also, the Netflix documentary 13th, directed by DuVernay, is about the Thirteenth Amendment in the United States Constitution that abolished slavery.

With such enticing projects in the past, seems like the cast is set to make Colin in Black and White just as successful.