Colin Kaepernick recently came out with a children’s book, and it’s had a massive effect on him and his community. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback released the picture book, titled We Are Free, You & Me, back in September. It centers around a cause close to him, the Know Your Rights camp, emphasizing the 10 rights that everyone is entitled to. All the book’s proceeds are donated to the cause.
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Following in Colin’s footsteps, Lamar Jackson decided to come out with a children’s book of his own. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback and two-time MVP came out with the book titled, I Dream, You Dream, We Dream. He was inspired to write a book after passing the “FCAT” back when he was younger.
The FCAT, or the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, no longer exists. But at the time, it was Florida’s version of standardized testing, and Lamar was not confident in his writing ability growing up.
“I thought about writing a book after I got a 5 out of 6 on my FCAT,” Lamar explained in an interview with GQ Sports. “I was getting 3s, and I think you need a 4 to pass… Eventually I ended up getting a 5, and that inspired me a little.”
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Lamar detailed during the interview how he was writing about Ray Lewis in the piece that got him a passing grade. This is ironic because he now plays for Lewis’ team in Baltimore.
But Jackson really wanted to drive home the idea that you can be anything in the world through his book. It’s a great message that children, and people, everywhere can resonate with.
Lamar engages in charity quite a bit
One thing in common about the two children’s authors, Jackson and Kaepernick, is that they both love charity. Lamar himself supports several different ones, including Blessings in a Backpack — a nonprofit that focuses on getting food to elementary school kids on the weekend.
He donated $25k to them back in 2018. Forever Dreamers Foundation is the other charity Lamar founded in 2018, which focuses on mental health among the youth.
It’s clear Lamar is all about the children, something he discussed in his interview with GQ, “The youth is so important to me because I was once a child,” Lamar expressed. “I was once looking up to icons on TV, wondering why they don’t come and show their faces. I was impacted by that.”
Ever since he arrived at the NFL, Jackson has made a concerted effort to interact with kids at games rather than adults. On his way off the field, you can often catch him signing something or taking a picture with a kid. Something that he says won’t be changing anytime soon.
