Higher Ground

George Hawthorne and I both attended Schurz High School in Chicago. I graduated 1977, George in 1985. He was a stand out football player who would go on to be named to the All-American Team in 1987-then on to the University of Iowa playing ball for Hayden Fry. He'd strap it up for the Cleveland Browns and make a career of of law enforcement, 25 years with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and held the rank of captain the last 15 years. 

After years of assistant coaching, George was named the head coach of the Arizona Skyline Coyotes high school football team in 2019. He's made quite a life from humble beginnings and also has had to deal with racism on many levels.

 

I reached out to George this past weekend, as the fires burned, the crowds gathered and the protesters marched, and asked if he would consider have a conversation around finding higher ground when it comes to race relations in America.

 

Listen and learn.