In-depth look at how Vikings deal with social justice issues...

Vikings players find their voice on social justice issuesManagement and players have worked together to address the complex social justice issues that affect their lives.

Stefon Diggs walked into a classroom in north Minneapolis on Nov. 20 with a teammate whose presence was designed to jolt the students at Franklin Middle School.
Adam Thielen, one of Diggs’ closest friends with the Vikings, was the only white person in the room.
“But that was good, though,” Diggs said with a smile. “They were making fun of him a little bit.”
The NFL’s most prolific receiving duo — a Division II product from Detroit Lakes, Minn., and a star from the Washington, D.C., area who became the nation’s top recruit — talked about issues in their hometowns. They listened, and pledged their help, as students shared their own stories.
Most of all, they tried to show their seemingly unlikely bond was genuine, deep and replicable.
“I think that was the whole point of the thing — because they probably don’t feel super comfortable with people like me, maybe,” Thielen said. “Diggs was able to show them — “He cool,” Diggs interjected, finishing Thielen’s sentence.
Diggs and Thielen’s visit — one black player and one white player talking to at-risk students in Twin Cities schools about the value of cross-cultural relationships — was among the first of its kind for the Vikings, but there will be more. As the team wrestled for nearly a year with how to address social justice concerns in the Twin Cities, it landed on a multifaceted initiative to provide school supplies and scholarships for low-income students, legal aid for the disadvantaged and opportunities to improve relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf committed $250,000 from their personal wealth, telling players they could allocate the funds however they saw fit.
The program launched with little fanfare; players’ visits to schools and juvenile detention centers, as well as ride-alongs with Twin Cities police, have come without cameras or news releases. Linebacker Eric Kendricks and defensive end Stephen Weatherly said they were met with suspicion the first time they visited the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center; their subsequent visits prompted thoughtful letters from students who began to see the effort wasn’t motivated by a photo op.
http://www.startribune.com/vikings-players-find-their-voice-on-social-justice-issues/503396152/