A request from the Chicago Bears turned into a memorable series of events for Leo junior Cameron Cleveland.
Cameron was one of 12 Leo students who participated in a Bears Care-sponsored distribution of gift baskets to needy families from Auburn Gresham and other neighboring communities just before Christmas.
In January, in conjunction with the Bears’ observance of Dr . Martin Luther King Day, the team asked Cameron and students from other schools to submit an essay on Dr. King’s legacy and what it means to him and his family.
Cameron wrote the essay and recorded it on video as well. The Bears were so impressed that they shared it with some of their media partners, including Chicago’s FOX-32, the broadcast outlet for all of the Bears’ NFC games each season. FOX, in turn, decided to interview Cameron about his commitment to community service as part of a series of stories it was doing in conjunction with Black History Month on its morning show, Good Day Chicago. The interview aired on Wednesday, Feb. 24.
The essay, the video and the FOX interview are included here. Cameron, as usual, represented us like a champion, but no surprise there; he is the top-ranked student in the junior class with a GPA well above 4.0 as a result of the honors courses he has taken. He’s also the captain and leading scorer on the Leo basketball team, which again is no surprise; Cameron is the younger brother of Fred Cleveland, a two-time All-State point guard who was Leo’s Class of 2019 salutatorian.
The Cleveland family has been a great addition to the Leo Family, and we salute them.
Dr. King
by Cameron Cleveland ’22
Dr. King’s legacy means everything to me and my family. My grandfather and his siblings grew up in Selma, Alabama and were fortunate enough to participate in the march to Montgomery and be part of such a historical event in American History. They partook in the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and were trampled over and sprayed with fire hoses. They fought so I would be able to learn and capture the most out of every opportunity that I am given. This is why I am passionate about learning and strive to do the best I can in any and everything I do. Dr. King is an inspiration to me and my family, a symbol of the freedom and prosperity we have in today’s society. He was a leader, activist and symbol of peace in the African-American fight for Civil Rights. I strive to accomplish and be an icon of those dreams Dr. King expressed in his infamous “I Have A Dream” speech. He lost his life fighting for the rights Me, My Family and the other future generations of Blacks in America have today. This means everything to me and is why Dr. King in the flesh and his legacy mean so much to me.