Sacramento-raised 49er: Educational inequity continues holding back young people | Opinion
As a proud San Francisco 49er for my entire career, I’ve seen firsthand how sports can transform the lives of kids for the better. I’m a great example of that, and so are a lot of guys on the 49er team.
But kids, especially from underserved communities, should know that sports aren’t the only attainable dream to have. Education should be just as attainable.
Yet, in a world where dreams should know no bounds and opportunities should be within everyone’s reach, the glaring issue of educational inequity keeps holding back countless young people.
Educational inequity is a deep-rooted problem, and one that I saw firsthand growing up in Sacramento. I lived in both middle- and lower-class neighborhoods, and the differences were as clear then as they are now: In the middle-class neighborhoods, kids had their own schoolbooks and supplies, but in the lower-class neighborhoods, kids would often need to share resources. Even at a young age, I saw two worlds living within one city, where the “haves” went to college and the “have-nots” didn’t.
The education disparity that I saw stuck with me as I left my hometown to pursue my dream of playing professional football. That’s why my wife, Dr. Mindy Armstead, and I started the Armstead Academic Project (AAP) in 2019 — our way of leveling the playing field for under-resourced kids and giving them the tools they need to succeed.
AAP teams up with schools and communities to make sure kids have better access to a good education. We believe that every young person deserves the right to read at their own grade level, explore their interests, connect to college and career experiences and thrive in all aspects of their lives.
We support with summer reading programs, science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics education and building social capital for future opportunities. We’re also now using Mindy’s background as a child and adolescent psychiatrist to underscore the importance of access to mental health care for youth.
We helped advocate to get additional funding to support 80,000 unfunded Black children in California and secured a commitment from Gov. Gavin Newsom to increase resources and services for the lowest-performing students, particularly students of color.
My wife and I are tackling this issue from all angles because the children of California deserve no less.
Since the moment I was drafted by the 49ers in 2015, I knew the importance of using my incredible platform to make a difference in my communities. I knew I wanted to shine a light on education inequality. The NFL has an initiative called Inspire Change, which unifies the efforts of players, teams and the league in supporting social justice and racial equality. One of the Inspire Change pillars happens to be education, and the league has partnered with key local and national organizations to tackle this issue head-on.
As I said in a recent NFL feature about the Armstead Academic Project, to me, Inspire Change means thinking about the next person that the work we do could positively impact. It means doing your part, whether it’s large or small, to support the kids who need it most, no matter their zip code.
We all have a part to play in building a brighter, more equitable future for our kids — not just football players, elected officials or other highly visible individuals. Take action, whether it’s mentoring a child from your neighborhood, donating supplies to a school or volunteering at an after-school program.
We can and will break the cycle of educational inequality and help kids reach their fullest potential, but it takes all of us to do it.
This story was originally published November 20, 2023 at 5:00 AM.