More than two-thirds of the inmates in California's state prisons are Latino or African American, according to the most recent census. More than 1,000 military veterans are admitted annually.
All have a personal stake in the debates surrounding Colin Kaepernick's protest against the national anthem.
San Quentin Radio's Louis A. Scott talked to a number of inmates to get a sense for what think they about protesting during the national anthem.
"Kaepernick brought an issue to the public that apparently is as old as the cotton fields."
San Quentin Radio is a project in which KALW editors train inmates to report stories from inside prison. San Quentin officials listened to and approved the script and audio for this story prior to broadcast. Thanks to Sam Robinson and Larry Schneider for their help.
This story originally aired in 2016.
Click the audio player above to listen to the complete story.