I've always been passionate about social justice, activism, and their relationship to agency over one's body. I wanted to share something that would intertwine these interests with a topic that was relatable, directly impacted their lives, and, most importantly, left them feeling empowered. I knew the students would immediately be able to recognize the most famous athlete activists and provide some context into how they are trying to affect change.

While I was doing the research for my presentation, I realized that without an in-depth knowledge of sports history, it was unlikely that the students would be able to identify athletes who sacrificed their entire careers, education, safety, and livelihood in the name of equality
and activism only a few decades ago.

When they learned that Kareem Abdul- Jabbar was only 19 years old when he attended the Cleveland Summit of 1969 to demonstrate his solidarity with Muhammad Ali and that in 1967, 14 members of the University of Wyoming's football team were freshmen in college when they protested racist league policies, it humanized these heroes and made them relatable. Students voiced that they, too, can affect change in their communities and in school but having a plan and speaking out.