Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be one of eight people honored by Harvard University next month with the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal.

The 2018 Hutchins Center Honors



Ceremony: 10/11 at 4pm @Harvard. Free tickets available to Harvard ID holders via lottery - https://t.co/XOow5ohlbY



A limited number of free tickets will be made available to the public on 10/9 via the Harvard Box Office - https://t.co/UUHYwkItzopic.twitter.com/JT2XIAhheE — Hutchins Center (@HutchinsCenter) September 20, 2018

The medal is given annually by the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research.

“The medal honors those who have made significant contributions to African and African American history and culture, and more broadly, individuals who advocate for intercultural understanding and human rights in an increasingly global and interconnected world,” the university said.

The medal is named after Du Bois, a 19th and 20th century black writer and activist.

Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem before NFL games in 2016 as his way to protest racial injustice and extrajudicial killings of black men in America. It spread across the league, causing many people, including President Donald Trump, to counter that protesting players were disrespecting the American flag and troops.

Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season and has a collusion case open against the league accusing team owners of blackballing him. He also was the center of a recent Nike campaign, including a TV ad in which he says, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”