Kaepernick is right that neither the Democratic Party nor Republican Party is perfect or has been ideal for the advancement of rights for black Americans. Each party has a history of supporting racist policies that have hurt countless people, as well as implementing a drug war and criminal justice tactics that have done the same. That’s been true since the founding of this country. It is true even today.

But it is also true that as of this moment, the parties are worlds apart. One is much more likely to push forward the kinds of policies Kaepernick, Black Lives Matter and other racial justice proponents crave, while the other elected a man who ran on open bigotry to win his party’s nomination, then the White House. That does not mean black people should rely solely upon political actors to get us closer to a state of equality. That would be a foolish bet, of that Kaepernick is correct. Still, it makes no sense to throw the baby out with the bath water. Until we see massive change from the GOP—and I mean massive—it is clear the Democratic Party is more likely to at least attempt to enact needed change.