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"Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America and the Politics of Racism," by Howard Bryant.

Since the 1960s, the United States has seen a number of African-American athletes who have been willing to express their political views — views that were often considered out of the mainstream or controversial.

Those include Muhammad Ali and Olympic medalists John Carlos and Tommie Smith. Much more recently, we’ve seen Colin Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the national anthem cost him a job in the National Football League.

Howard Bryant of ESPN The Magazine writes about those athletes and the broader societal impact in his new book, "Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America and the Politics of Racism."