Colin Kaepernick items to be included in Black Lives Matter collection at Smithsonian

A.J. Perez | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Why athletes shouldn't just stick to sports SportsPulse: USA TODAY's Trysta Krick believes there's no better time for athletes to speak out.

Items related to Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest and his other efforts to call attention to racial inequality and police brutality will be displayed as part of a Black Lives Matter collection at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History, a museum curator told USA TODAY Sports Friday night.

"The National Museum of African American History and Culture has nearly 40,000 items in our collection," Damion Thomas, the Washington museum’s sports curator, said in an email. "The Colin Kaepernick collection is in line with the museum's larger collecting efforts to document the varied areas of society that have been impacted by the Black Lives Matter movement."

BENNETT: Seahawks star sits for anthem with teammate in support

KAEPERNICK'S MESSAGE: Still alive and well around the league

SIGN UP: NFL newsletter delivers the best coverage to your inbox

A report earlier Friday claimed Kaepernick, who is currently a free agent after opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers, would get his "own exhibit," but Thomas said that’s not the case.

"There are no current plans for an exhibition on Colin Kaepernick," Thomas said.

Thomas previously told USA TODAY Sports that the museum planned to display Kaepernick’s items — including a game-worn jersey, shoes and a picture donated by noted sociologist Harry Edwards — within "one or two years."