Denver Broncos Safety Justin Simmons and Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver

During the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020, Denver Broncos all-pro safety Justin Simmons began joining weekly virtual sessions of a RISE multi-week leadership program with youth from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. The program provided a safe space for teens to learn about diversity and inclusion related topics, and discuss what it means to be a champion of change for addressing racism and injustice in their communities. The impact of those sessions resonate today. Two teens from that program, Nashara and Ray Ray, have since established themselves as leaders within their community. Mentored by Simmons through the RISE program and other engagements at the Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club, they’ve organized two Marches for Peace to remember those lost to violence and work towards a more equitable and safe future. They and Simmons are also back participating in this year’s in-person RISE leadership program for youth at the BGCMD, engaging a new group of students from the Broncos Club and the Suncor Boys & Girls Club on critical topics of race, identity and community building. That program concludes on May 25, so in this conversation, we speak with Justin, Nashara, Ray Ray and Angel, another student from this year’s program, to discuss the impact of these conversations and how to create more inclusive and equitable communities.