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In the News
Former All-Star calls for school aid
Johnson says economic development necessary to improve public schools in troubled urban communities
Stanford Daily
November 10, 2006
By Camila Tapernoux
Think guarding Michael Jordan was hard? Try eradicating inequalities in public education, former Phoenix Suns guard Kevin Johnson told a crowd at Schwab Residential Complex last night.
“Let me get this out there early: I went to UC-Berkeley,” began Johnson — drawing chuckles from the event’s 100 attendees — before launching into an overview of St. HOPE, his community-building program. Founded in 1989 in his hometown of Sacramento, St. HOPE began as an after-school program at Johnson’s alma mater Sacramento High. Since then, he has expanded it to include a $1 million after-school facility, a cultural center and public schools that provide high quality education to nearly 2,000 students.
Johnson used history to explain why he founded the St. HOPE project, describing how slaves used to dig pits in the ground to meet in at night and teach each other to read and write.
“If people were willing to risk their lives for education back then, I certainly feel a responsibility to do my part now,” he said. “You cannot deny a great education to somebody because of the ZIP code they live in. We all need to do everything we can to make sure every kid has access to a high quality education.”
St. HOPE’s approach to addressing inequality is comprehensive, working for economic development and community revitalization along with public education. Economically, the foundation has worked to bring businesses like Starbucks to low-income neighborhoods.
“If you have a Starbucks, you go from being a ghetto community to being a ‘community in transition,’” said Johnson, noting that the St. HOPE program has brought 14 businesses, 282 jobs and over $11 million in development to the Oak Park neighborhood in Sacramento.
“Kids in poor communities, once they leave school and walk through their community, they see dilapidated buildings and drug pushers,” he said. “Their world doesn’t make sense.”
Johnson also emphasized the importance of a bipartisan approach to making a difference.
“Education should and does transcend politics,” he said.
And Johnson stressed making education a priority, regardless of one’s major or career.
“You gotta be radical, you gotta be a little bit crazy, you gotta believe in young people,” he said. “Whatever you do, do not ever lower your expectations for children.”
Transforming education and community
Professional basketball player and community activist Kevin Johnson poses with students from his St. HOPE program, which currently educates around 2000 students in the Sacramento area. The program also includes a cultural center and an after-school facility.
Photo: Shams Shaikh (Stanford Daily)
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