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Bears present inaugural Black History Month Youth Leader Awards

Story by Gabby Hajduk

Kenwood Academy High School junior Jayvon Anderson — a varsity football captain — and Lane Tech College Prep High School senior Grier Burke — a girls flag football athlete — both received cryptic messages from their high school coaches a couple months ago. Their coaches were inquiring about the students' resumes and the work they do in their communities for an award but wouldn't say much else.

Last week, those feelings of confusion turned into shock then pure joy when Anderson and Burke were surprised at their respective schools with the inaugural Chicago Bears Black History Month Youth Leader Award — an honor created to recognize young student-athletes who are making a positive impact in the classroom, on the field and in the community. Inspired by the rich legacy Black leaders who have shaped sports history and serves as a platform to highlight the contributions of future leaders, the award aligns with the Bears Latino Heritage Month Youth Leader award.

"We are honored in selecting Jayvon and Grier as our first male and female student athlete recipients for this year's Black History Month Youth Leader Award," the selection committee — which consisted of internal Bears staff — said. "Both recipients are remarkable student-athletes who exemplify the values of leadership, academic excellence and community impact. These recipients have not only excelled in the classroom and in their respective sports but have also shown an unwavering commitment to uplifting the Black community.

"Through their dedication to education, mentorship, and service, they have become role models for their peers, using their platforms to inspire positive change. Their ability to lead with integrity, perseverance, and a deep sense of responsibility makes them deserve this recognition. We celebrate their achievements and look forward to seeing the continued impact they will make in their communities and beyond."

Both unanimous selections by the committee, Anderson and Burke have built standout resumes throughout their high school careers, both with the same goal in mind — to improve their communities and bring kindness to the world. As part of the award, the pair were gifted a custom hand-painted football and a certificate signed by chairman George H. McCaskey, President & CEO Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles.

For Anderson, the medical field has become his passion throughout high school. He regularly volunteers at the University of Chicago Medical Careers Exposure and Emergency Preparedness program, which aims to bridge the gap between underserved communities and medicine. He also participates in MedCEEP's Sneakers to Scrubs initiative — a mentorship program for minority medical students who aim to advance increased representation in the medical field.

"I want to create community where health care disparities are virtually non-existent due to your race," Anderson said. "I want to be able to help Black people feel more comfortable going to the hospital and going to see their physicians, because there's someone that looks like them, and that plays a world of a difference in a person's health care."

Along with his involvement in the medical field, Anderson is also a top-tier supporter of all things Kenwood. Not only is he junior class officer for student council, a cast member in the school's Black History Month play and section leader of Kenwood's award-winning concert choir, Anderson is always looking for opportunities like open houses, food drives or sports events to volunteer at or cheer on his classmates at.

"I take pride in my support of the school," Anderson said. "I chose Kenwood because it's a mini HBCU and I love the culture. So I try to keep the culture and build it. Just being here and lifting up my peers, whether it be through sporting events or robotic events, I try to make everything. Right now, I'm staying after school to support our girl's basketball team in their super sectionals. I try to build people up instead of bringing people down because there's so much wrong in this world and sometimes positivity goes a long way."

As a captain, running back and linebacker for the football team, Anderson has also been a leader for his teammates by recognizing the impact team sports like football can have on individuals Growing up, football was not only a hobby for Anderson, but a necessity after he lost his father as a six-year-old.

"The game of football, to me, is everything, because I wouldn't be where I am without it," Anderson said. "I use it as a gateway to release my emotions, because growing up and dealing with my father passing away due to gun violence, I was angry a lot of the time. I was angry at everyone. It didn't take much to get my emotions heightened. My mom thankfully tried to put me in sports to use as an outlet, and I fell in love with football. It's definitely saved my life if I'm being honest."

To now have his hometown football team supporting him and honoring his accomplishments not only as a student-athlete, but as a leader for the community is a surreal experience for Anderson.

"It's special to know that the Bears are behind me, just because I've known the Bears my whole life," Anderson said. "I know the song, the little Bear Down jingle. To know that I earned an award through my hard work and that the Bears are recognizing me for that — this lets me know that my hard work is not going unnoticed. And it makes me want to keep going."

For Burke, she divides her main passions into three 'As' — academics, arts and athletics — all of which help highlight her dedication to being a leader in her community. One of her proudest accomplishments as a high schooler has been her tenure as the first Black female senior class president at Lane Tech, which holds the largest senior class at a public school in the state of Illinois.

"Being a person that others can look up to is always something that I've been passionate about and felt almost like that was kind of my calling," Burke said. "My school is a very large, selective enrollment school on the northwest side of Chicago. I'm from Hyde Park and I have to venture a little way … so it's a big statement already for me to go to this school. And then being the person I am, wherever I go, I'm going to make an impact. I want to make an impact through my leadership and ability to connect with all these other people and with that, I did become the senior class president."

Burke has embodied that goal of being a role model all throughout high school as every year she participates as a mentor in the Lane Tech Guidance Program to help guide new or prospective students in their journeys. Earlier this school year, she became girls flag football teammates with a younger student, who had remembered Burke as her mentor when she was deciding whether to come to Lane Tech.

"Knowing that whatever I did was able to make such an impact on a decision that's life-altering was just such a great feeling," Burke said. "I just continue to try to embody that because even after I graduate and go off to whatever college I go to, I don't want these titles that I have to define me and make me feel like, 'oh, well, if I don't have that in college, then maybe I'm not that anymore.' I can still bring a little bit of my sparkle wherever I go without having that and still make the same impact, if not grow and expand it."

Also in the academic space, Burke is a part of the rigorous Alpha Stem program where a select group of students conducts research and science projects — one of which led her to creating a Rubik's Cube club that has been going strong since sophomore year.

When it comes to athletics, Burke — a varsity track & field captain — found a new passion this past fall after joining the girls flag football team as a running back and rusher. While the sport was completely new to her, she fell in love with how the sport is breaking barriers for girls like her and bringing communities together.

Seeing the Bears' support of girls flag as a whole and now of her as an individual has been a fulfilling experience.

"Even though I started over the summer, girls flag had such a large impact on me this past year," Burke said. "I've learned so much about myself and also working with other people. Having a team like the Bears backing us is special — I've always seen the Bears around the city, my family's always been Bears fans. Knowing that I'm a part of a sport that's growing, that's breaking barriers by giving women an opportunity to play football and knowing that not only my athletic talent is seen, but also my leadership skills are noticed around me, is something that is almost like a dream.

"It's like, 'wow, I'm noticed in a lot of different ways that I can shine — not just on the field or in the classroom or on the stage — but in all of it.' That was amazing and a great feeling."