Truth, Power, and Resistance: A Fireside Chat with Dr. Angela Davis, Colin Kaepernick and Nessa

“Youth always lead struggles for change. No revolution has ever happened without young people being in the forefront.” Angela Davis 

Know Your Rights Camp created in 2015, but the first physical camp was launched in Oakland in 2016, as Colin Kaepernick began protesting police violence during the national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. Since then, the KYRC organization has grown into a global campaign committed to uplifting Black and Brown youth. Now nearing its tenth anniversary, we returned to Oakland, California in partnership with the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries for our 16th Camp at the end of 2025.

Before hosting a day of learning, enrichment and fellowship, KYRC co-founders Colin Kaepernick and Nessa Diab joined legendary civil rights icon Angela Davis for an inspiring fireside chat. Centered on community, discipline and self-belief, the dialogue encouraged young people to trust their instincts, recognize their power, and lead with intention. Rooted in history and guided by love, this fireside chat reflects the heart of KYRC and the future it continues to build.

From the moment Nessa stepped on stage, the tone was set: Oakland isn’t just a backdrop; it’s family. “Good morning, Oakland, California… this is my second home… it’s amazing to be back home and to be back here where everything started for the Know Your Rights Camp,” she said, beaming at the crowd. She made sure the young people and their mentors were seen too: “Where are all the leaders who brought their students out here today? Thank you.” Even the day’s scavenger hunt came with a purpose: an invitation to listen closely, take notes, and walk away with more than souvenirs: “We’re going to be sharing a lot of important information… so pay attention, take some notes.”

Then Nessa did what she does best: she made the work personal. Introducing Kaepernick, she didn’t lead with headlines or mythology, but with love and sacrifice. “He’s the most incredible person I have ever known… so selfless… and sacrificed so much for everybody that’s here today.” When Colin joined her, the emotion turned into a kind of grounded awe. “10 years… but it feels so fitting to be back in Oakland,” he said.

Kaepernick’s introduction of Dr. Angela Davis was a lesson in lineage. KYRC, he explained, is not a brand or a moment; it’s a continuation. “We are building on the legacies of others who came before us,” he said, naming the “tireless efforts” that made space for the room to exist at all. He spoke about Angela Davis as a figure who “has not wavered in her conviction,” and how people have looked to her for guidance on “how we build and create a better future together.”

When Dr. Davis finally spoke, she made something clear right away: the center of the story isn’t any single hero. It’s the collective. “Nothing I have ever done… have I done by myself,” she told the youth. “It’s always been with other people… it’s never been me by myself as an individual. It’s always been me in community.” She made the room a mirror; young faces reflecting older battles, older victories, and the responsibility now being passed forward. “Youth always lead struggles for change,” she said. “No revolution has ever happened without young people being in the forefront.”

Her reflections on Oakland were movement memories, demonstrations and solidarity. She called demonstrations “rehearsals for revolution,” then described the feeling that turns isolation into courage: “You come together with a whole bunch of people and your heart feels connected with theirs… what you weren’t able to do as a one person, you are absolutely convinced that you can do with the hundreds and thousands… who are with you.” That’s not just poetry; it’s instruction. It tells every teenager in the crowd that their fear is real and so is the way out of it.

The fireside chat also confronted the lie that suffering is inevitable. Dr. Davis pushed the youth to imagine beyond what they’re told is “realistic.” “Have you ever heard the slogan, imagine the Impossible,” she asked, before naming a world where dignity is built-in, not purchased. “By virtue of being human beings, you should have the right to live,” she said, connecting wealth inequality to housing insecurity in plain terms. And she didn’t stop at critique—she offered vision: “Education shouldn’t cost anything… free from kindergarten all the way up to the postgraduate level… everyone would be able to pursue their dreams.”

Kaepernick echoed that vision with a direct challenge: “We don’t have to accept what is.” He talked about how change begins; not always with a giant stage, but with “one small act.” “One small act from one person can have a ripple effect… into communities, into cities, into states, countries, and the world.” And he gave the youth a way to keep going when it gets lonely: remember those who endured worse and still moved forward. “There are people that have come before me… and face consequences that are far greater than what I have faced,” he said. “If they can do that, I can do that too.”

When the conversation turned to advice for teens, both offered something rare: respect. Dr. Davis refused the easy posture of “elder lecture.” She flipped the question: “What would my 13-year-old self think about who I have become?” Then she made a promise to the youth: she would never be the kind of adult who stops learning. Young people, she said, should be “exploring new terrain… creating new ideas,” and older people should be willing to follow their lead.

Kaepernick’s message was a blueprint for self-trust: “Trust yourself… your instincts about the world, you have those now.” He affirmed what adults often deny: teens are not “future leaders” only.

They are leaders now. 

“Realize the power that you have… You show up in ways and you make us better because you do question things because you are challenging the norm.”

KYRC returned to where it began and reminded everyone watching: the future isn’t waiting for permission. It’s already in the room.

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