Almas Daughter

It was heartbreaking, inspiring, illuminating, entertaining, and very good. I liked learning about the teenager who grew into a conscientious man. Jaden Michael was excellent as a young Kaepernick, but I was just as impressed with Mary-Louise Parker as his loving but clueless mother who would sometimes follow her instinct without understanding why. It was heartbreaking to feel his loneliness when seeing the racism, micro-aggressions, and colorism he faced. And the most touching moment for was when his buddy explained why young Kaepernick couldn’t go with him on some of his escapades. Colin did a very good job as narrator connecting all the dots. Also, kudos to this team for shedding a little bit of light on why some bi-racial people identify as Black. (The choice isn’t always theirs—it’s often a reflection of how they’re treated by society. Think: Barack Obama or Nikole Hannah-Jones. Astute parents prepare their children for this. Unfortunately, Kaepernick had to learn this on his own.) I often avoid films about bi-racial families because they seem to only want to show one side—the side of possibilities and not the side of realities, but this series rang true for me and it’s one I’ll watch again.