Ayanbadejo became a standout linebacker at U.C.L.A. and was involved in social causes. When some Los Angeles-area schools cut their arts budgets, Ayanbadejo and some friends began teaching theater at elementary schools three days a week. In 1998, after California Proposition 209, which barred the state from discriminating on the basis of race, sex or ethnicity, went into effect, Ayanbadejo worked to publicize the diminished number of minority students at U.C.L.A. “They were basically saying, ‘If you’re an athlete at U.C.L.A., it’s O.K. to be black,’ ” Ayanbadejo said. “It’s a state school, and I felt like it had an obligation to represent its demographics.” In 2007, Ayanbadejo and the former Bruins point guard Baron Davis formed an organization focused on diversity in higher education. (via Views on Gay Rights of Ravens’ Ayanbadejo Are Rooted in Upbringing - NYTimes.com)
