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Minnesota Vikings flex celebrity in support of U of M African American Read-In

Alan Page with children at Read-in event.Alan Page, the former Minnesota Viking great turned Minnesota Supreme Court justice, and current Viking Erasmus James participated in an African American Read-In event Wednesday, Feb. 7, at the Nelly Stone Johnson School, 807 27th Ave. N., Minneapolis.

The event was part of the 18th annual National African American Read-In that launched Sunday, Feb. 4 and Monday, Feb. 5. Read-In events are held during the month of February in schools, churches, libraries, bookstores, communities and at meetings of professional organizations. Interested citizens are urged to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month by hosting and coordinating Read-Ins in their communities. Hosting a Read-In can be as simple as bringing together friends to share a book, or as elaborate as arranging public readings and media presentations that feature professional African American writers, according to Ezra Hyland, Read-In project director.

Hyland, a University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development instructor, has spearheaded African American Read-In events in the Twin Cities for many years.

Page won lasting acclaim on the gridiron playing with the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears from 1967-1981. In 1971, he became the first defensive player in NFL history to receive the league’s Most Valuable Player award. In 1988, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But Page recognized that most sports careers are so short-lived that players need to plan ahead for the rest of their lives. Juggling law school and a pro football career, he earned a degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1978. He worked in a private law practice and also did a stint as a commentator for National Public Radio. By 1987, he had worked his way up to the post of Minnesota’s assistant attorney general, where he stayed until his nomination to the state’s highest court in 1993.

Page has made a career of encouraging minority students to go to college. He is the founder of the Page Education Foundation, which has provided mentoring and approximately 3,000 scholarships to encourage Minnesota students to continue their studies after high school. Page also helped establish the Kodak/Alan Page Challenge, a nationwide essay contest encouraging urban youth to recognize the value of education.

James attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he was an All Big 10 player and earned All Big Ten Academic honors. James, a defensive end, was the Vikings’ 2005 No. 1 draft pick. He has been active with the African American Read-In program for two years.

This article, was republished with permission from Insight News.