Last week, proceeding the death of Fidel Castro, a reporter questioned Colin Kaepernick’s intensions and support for Castro because of a shirt he wore in August. Back in August Colin Kaepernick wore a shirt with Castro and Malcolm X of it, which some found offensive. There are a lot of Cubans residing in Miami which could be the reason for the reporter asking him about the shirt three months later.

The reporter, Armando Salguero from the Miami Herald, is a Cuban exile so he know and has experienced the era. Most Americans don’t know what Castro did to Cubans and don’t understand why many fled the country. Kaepernick replied, “I’m not talking about Fidel Castro and his oppression. I’m talking about Malcolm X and what he’s done for people.”

Salguero felt like Kaepernick was trying change the subject to Malcolm X because the topic of Fidel Castro was uncomfortable so Kaepernick gave his opinion on Castro as well. “One thing that Fidel Castro did do is they have the highest literacy rate because they invest more in their education system than they do in their prison system,” Kaepernick said, “which we do not do here, even though we’re fully capable of doing that.”

The reporter pointed out that, along with investing in education, Castro also broke up families. “We do break up families here [in the U.S.],” Kaepernick responded. “That’s what mass incarceration is. That was the foundation of slavery, so our country has been based on that as well as the genocide of Native Americans.”

We all have strong opinions about that what our countries and there leaders could do better. Just ask a Native American about Columbus Day and Thanksgiving. The conversation was important and could expand both men’s mindset when it comes to cultural sensitivity and understanding.