Colin Kaepernick has kept relatively silent since kneeling during the national anthem over the entire 2016 NFL season last year, declining interview requests and letting his actions speak for him, instead.

But the woke, free-agent quarterback made an exception to that this past Saturday night, appearing at the ACLU of SoCal's "Bill of Rights" dinner to accept the Courage Advocate award and give a short, but powerful, speech.

"We must confront systemic oppression as a doctor would a disease. You identify it, you call it out, you treat it, and you defeat it," Kaepernick told the ACLU of SoCal audience, as reported by TMZ Sports. “We all have an obligation no matter the risk, and regardless of reward, to stand up for our fellow men and women who are being oppressed with the understanding that human rights cannot be compromised."

Before he even started his speech, Kaepernick humbly soaked in the adulation from the crowd and raised a closed fist to their approval. You could hear an audience member yell to him, "You should still be playing," to which Kaep laughed and said, "Yes!"

Watch that moment and his speech below.

Kaepernick obviously received the Courageous Advocate award for kneeling in protest against racism and the police brutality of unarmed Black men — a stance in which he remains unemployed by NFL franchises for taking, as his filed grievance against the league's team owners is still ongoing.

In addition to this Courageous Advocate award, Kaepernick was also named the recipient of Sports Illustrated's Muhammad Ali Legacy Award this past Friday and GQ's "Citizen of the Year" before that last month.

Kaep is ending the year strong!

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