The stories that we consume, and engage with, directly inform how we understand the world; however, for years, the Publishing industry has been criticized for its lack of diversity in storytelling. Historically, this meant that the most widely consumed books often reflected a narrow world view, capturing limited experiences, perspectives, voices and realities. Although there has been more diversification in recent years, many people today grew up with literature that had little to no cultural range. One such person is Colin Kaepernick, activist and former NFL quarterback, who has admitted that he rarely read when he was younger, as he would seldom relate to the characters and narratives in the books that were available to him.
As a teenager, Kaepernick struggled to navigate the difficulties of his family, community and school, while simultaneously trying to situate himself in the world as a young biracial boy being raised by a white family, in a predominantly white community. Unable to find help on this journey from the literature that he had access to, he rarely turned to books for support.
Self-realization and awareness over the years, coupled with his activism, inspired Kaepernick to want to contribute to the discourse around the lack of diversity, and work to change its trajectory. In 2022, he released his first children’s book entitled I Color Myself Different, inspired by a Kindergarten class assignment, in which he had to draw a picture of his family – he colored his family with a yellow crayon, and himself with a brown one. This pivotal moment shifted how he thought about his identity, bringing him to the realization that he was different, and later inspiring him to release I Color Myself Different, which would celebrate these differences.
He subsequently released a graphic novel entitled Change the Game in 2023. In an interview with NPR, Colin explained that the objective of this project was to provide younger audiences with characters and stories that they could relate to, and also, by offering varied experiences and insights, give them the resources, which he lacked growing up, to help them navigate their realities.
Well known for being vocal on issues related to racial inequality and discrimination in the United States, it is no surprise that he has expanded his advocacy and activism once more. This year, he launched an AI-based platform, Lumi, which raised $4 million in seed funding. By providing creators with the requisite tools to independently produce, publish, distribute and market their own stories, both in digital and print formats, Colin is not only helping them establish full autonomy over their content, but is also contributing to creating a more level playing field.
“Lumi opens the funnel of creativity to the world, enabling a new wave of diverse and innovative stories to come to life.”– Colin Kaepernick
Through this AI powered platform, Kaepernick is opening the creative space to a wider pool of voices, challenging the traditional narratives that have dominated for years. By widening the creative pipeline, he is facilitating more diversity in perspectives and experiences, leading to a broader spectrum of stories being told. Through a more inclusive storytelling landscape, Lumi is increasing the opportunities for audiences to see themselves reflected in the narratives that they consume.
