Colin Kaepernick will receive the highest honor from the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard, the university announced Thursday.
Kaepernick will be honored along with comedian Dave Chappelle, artist Kehinde Wiley and five others. They will be honored and receive the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal on Oct. 11 at the university.
The announcement states that the "medalists have made significant contributions to African and African-American history and culture, and more broadly, are individuals who advocate for intercultural understanding and human rights in an increasingly global and interconnected world."
Maya Angelou, Muhammad Ali and Ava DuVernay are all past winners.