When it comes to protecting Black lives, Colin Kaepernick has never wavered. From taking that knee on the field to creating initiatives off it, he’s been consistent in standing up when the system leaves too many questions unanswered. And now, he’s showing up once again—for a young brother named Demartravion “Trey” Reed.
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Trey was just 21, a computer science major at Delta State University in Mississippi. On September 17, he was found dead on campus. The state medical examiner’s office quickly ruled his death a suicide by hanging. Police said there was no evidence of foul play, and the county coroner said there were no signs of attack. Toxicology results are still pending, and the official investigation is ongoing.
But Trey’s family isn’t satisfied. And honestly, can you blame them? Too often, we’ve seen stories of young Black men and women whose deaths were labeled as suicides without full answers, without transparency, and without accountability. Families are left with more questions than closure.
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That’s where Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp Autopsy Initiative comes in. Through this program, Kaepernick is funding an independent autopsy for Trey. The review will move forward once the state releases his body. This is critical—not just for Trey’s family, but for the larger fight for truth. Because an independent review can reveal things that might otherwise be overlooked, dismissed, or minimized.
This isn’t about creating conspiracy. It’s about demanding clarity. It’s about giving Trey’s life, and his family’s pain, the dignity of a full, unbiased investigation. It’s about making sure we don’t just accept what’s handed down without accountability.
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For me, as a Black woman from Chicago, I can’t read Trey’s story without feeling the weight of it. Another young Black man, talented, with a future ahead of him, gone too soon. Another family left to grieve in the middle of uncertainty. And it stirs up something in me—the knowledge that our stories matter, that our deaths deserve answers, and that our families deserve peace.
Colin Kaepernick funding this autopsy isn’t just charity. It’s solidarity. It’s a reminder that in a world that too often tries to silence us, we have the right to question, to demand, and to know the truth.
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Trey Reed deserved more time, more life, more love. And at the very least, he deserves the full truth.
