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Monday saw the first day of school for at least 240 kids in Akron, Ohio, who will attend LeBron James‘ “I Promise School”, aimed to assist at-risk youth to thrive. Children in grades three to four will attend the academy through the LeBron James Family Foundation, attending from 8am – 5pm during the week, set to learn everything from mathematics to music and gym. Following the official first day, James sat down with CNN to speak on the new academy, racism and Trump.
An Akron native, James was raised in a tough area, where as a child he experienced racism, temptation from drugs as well as little money within the family. Even now, James’ home in LA was spray-painted with the n-word, and continues to experience generalised discrimination from the Trump administration. He sat down with CNN’s Don Lemon to speak on the matters.
Sport has mostly been a unifying force for race within America, but as black brutality begun to spread across the country, more and more high-profile athletes respectfully protested, kneeling during the national anthem. Trump has been known to repeatedly and criticise the movement, even calling players, “sons of bitches”.
“I believe our president is kind of trying to divide us,” James, said in the interview. “He’s kind of used sport to… divide us and that’s something I can’t relate to, because I know that sport was the first time I ever was around someone white. You know?”
When asked about what he’d say if he sat across from Trump, he answered, “I would never sit across from him, I’d sit across from Barack, though.”
Watch the entire interview below:
