The Abraham Lincoln and Dorsey high school football programs are getting a lift from the Los Angeles Rams to kick-off the 2023 season. The two inner-city schools are taking part in the National Football League’s team’s RISE leadership and community-building initiative.
RISE is a national non-profit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations.
The program began earlier this week when varsity players from both teams were invited inside the Rams’ locker room at SoFi Stadium.
The first of five sessions included a screening of the Rams’ recently released short film Kingfish: The Story of Kenny Washington, which tells the story of Kenny Washington, who attended Lincoln High. Washington was the first Black player to be signed by a NFL team in the modern era.
Following the screening, Rams Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, former NFL running back and Rams Director of Social Justice and Football Development Johnathan Franklin, former NFL running back and Dorsey High School head coach Stafon Johnson and Lincoln High School head coach Gabriel Cotero participated in a panel discussion about their football careers and the importance of understanding identities and perspective taking.
“You always hope you can touch one or two of these young men,” said Dickerson after the event. “They’re 15, 16-years old…I was one of those guys. And, hopefully a time goes by, some of this stuff sinks in.”
The next session will be held at Rams training camp at UC-Irvine on July 28, followed by sessions at each high school. The final session will be at NFL Los Angeles.
RISE with the Rams is designed to harness the unifying power of sports and build relationships between local high school football teams with a cross-section of racial and socioeconomic backgrounds to break down barriers and build leadership and cultural competency skills for student-athletes, coaches and LAPD officers. Since 2018, the Rams have engaged more than 20 high school football teams in the greater Los Angeles region with the RISE with the Rams program.
Below are photos from the event at SoFi Stadium:
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