Colin Kaepernick and Nessa Diab Publish a Children’s Book — and Reveal Their Daughter’s 'Favorite Pages' (Exclusive)

'We Are Free, You & Me' is based on the 10 points of the couple's Know Your Rights Camp

In Colin Kaepernick and Nessa Diab’s household, reading is a big deal — and now the couple has poured that passion into their first joint picture book!

The activist and former athlete, 36, and radio host, 40, are releasing children's book We Are Free, You & Me, and it centers on a cause close to them — their Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC) and its 10 points, which range from “you have the right to be safe” to “you have the right to be courageous.”

The couple, who share a 2-year-old daughter, are donating all of the book’s proceeds to the organization, whose mission is to “advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.”

Related: Colin Kaepernick on His New Graphic Memoir, 'Change the Game,' and Why Telling His Story Helped Him Grow

In an email interview, the We Are Free, You & Me co-authors said that “as parents, this project has been especially meaningful to us,” because the messages it conveys are “what we aspire to affirm in our own child.”

“The book celebrates a fictional family enjoying a day together in their loving community,” the co-authors say. “We hope this book inspires young people to live in the light of their own strength, truth and self-worth as they embark on their journey through life. Artist Gladys Jose has beautifully rendered the vibrancy that shines in the universal joy and promise that’s illuminated in the experiences of community.”

For more on Kaepernick and Diab and their children's book journey, pick up next week's issue of PEOPLE, or subscribe here.

Before We Are Free, You & Me hits bookshelves, Kaepernick (who published his first kids’ book in 2022) and Diab chatted with PEOPLE via email to break down some of the book’s most impactful moments — not to mention their daughter’s favorite pages!

I love the authors’ note at the end that talks about Know Your Rights camp and how you didn’t want your family to be the focus of the book. Can you talk a little bit about why that’s so important to you and your family? 

We wanted to keep the focus of the book on a family engaging each other and their community around their rights and their aspirations. The world doesn’t revolve around us, and we want to make stories that everyone can relate to and be inspired by.

Related: Colin Kaepernick Says He Knows His Adoptive Parents 'Loved' Him, but Struggled to Embrace His Blackness

Similarly, the tenets of KYRC are so powerful. I was especially struck by the right to be brilliant, which stood out to me. How did you land on those rights? 

The KYRC 10 points are focused on our human rights and inspired by the Black Panther Party’s 10 Point Program. These rights are often stripped from us, especially at a young age. Once someone has convinced you that you don’t have rights, you lose all aspiration and potential to become the best version of yourself.

Are there any new or developing updates with KYRC that you’re able to share? 

KYRC has several exciting initiatives. We just wrapped up our 13th youth camp in Philadelphia, continuing our mission to educate and empower young people.

In just over two years, our Autopsy Initiative has already helped 96 families by providing free second autopsies for loved ones lost to police-related deaths, giving them access to crucial information they may not have had otherwise in pursuit of closure and accountability.

We also launched the Know Your Rights Camp app, a unique resource that offers state-by-state information on your rights when interacting with police, whether during protests or traffic stops. It also offers great information on KYRC.

You can catch our KYRC podcast where we dive into important conversations around health, education and activism through art.

That hopeful line at the end that echoes the Arundhati Roy quote at the beginning, “Another world is possible … and she is on her way” is so beautiful. Can you explain why you wanted to spread that message?

Hope is extremely powerful! Now, combine that with momentum and people will take action. When we are constantly faced with the pressure of just accepting things as they are, we wanted to present an alternative option of relentlessly pursuing a better future for all of us.

Related: Colin Kaepernick on His New Graphic Memoir, 'Change the Game,' and Why Telling His Story Helped Him Grow

I like the line about “forming your team,” too. What does that mean to you? 

It’s centered on finding your community! That may be through sports, music, science, art — whatever it is, there is a team out there for everyone to be a part of. Being around people who love and uplift you during the hardest times is powerful. We experience this every time we see our KYRC volunteers — who we only get to see a few times out of the year. We all come together from different parts of the country and the world for the purpose of giving back. KYRC is our team.

Related: Colin Kaepernick Shares First Look at His Kids' Book Inspired by a 'Revelatory' Childhood Moment

Similarly, the “freedom to breathe” line — and that circle of kids who look like they’re meditating — really struck me. How do you interpret that line for yourselves? 

In a fast-moving world that’s only getting faster, sometimes we need to pause. Moments of silence, reflection and meditation can recenter us and make us more balanced and regulated. This is something I have seen Colin do so incredibly well over the years. He now teaches our daughter the same mindful/meditation practices as the children in our book. I get to learn with them along the way, it’s never too late!

I’m always interested in why people write children’s books, in general. Do you read together as a family? Any favorite books or authors in your house? 

Yes, we read together as a family multiple times a day. It’s extremely important to establish that habit with our daughter at a young age. Some of our daughter’s favorites right now are: I Color Myself Different, Rocket Says Look Up, Elephants Can’t Fly, Giraffes Can’t Dance and So Much.

I will say though, she loves seeing Colin’s face and saying “DaDa.” Those are her favorite pages.

Finally, as a Mets fan, I couldn’t help but notice the little “NY” on the baseball cap on that last spread! Is that an Easter egg?

It is an Easter egg! There are many actually! The two wearing the “SF” and “NY” hats are two of our closest lifelong friends, Katrina and Tony, who helped build KYRC. Nessa met them in The Bay Area over 15 years ago and we all ultimately all moved to New York together. Also, our family and Eric Reid and his family are in the background. You will also see other friends who are also part of KYRC like Kerem and his family on the last spread.

We Are Free, You & Me is out Oct. 1, 2024 and available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

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