By Derrick Ow — Reporter
In 2018, Chadwick Boseman told Howard University graduates that they should find their purpose in life.
It sometimes takes years for people to find their purpose in life. Caleb Simmons knows his purpose. He is inspiring the next generation of student athletes.
The San Jose State men’s basketball guard has turned into a social activist. Simmons led a student athlete solidarity walk for the Black Lives Matter movement on September 1st. SJSU student athletes from different sports marched from campus to San Jose City Hall to show unity and call for change.
“We wanted to stand with everybody else,” Simmons said. “It was about letting the community know that our platform can change millions of lives.”
He stood in front of the John Carlos and Tommie Smith statues on campus. Simmons was following in the footsteps of the Olympic icons. His words echoed outside of Dwight Bentel Hall.
“Do not just sit here and do nothing,” Simmons said during the rally, “Use your voice.”
Simmons lives and breathes those words every day. This did not happen overnight. He has used his pain in his personal life to motivate his fellow student athletes to use their voice.
SJSU men’s basketball head coach Jean Prioleau is proud of student athletes using their voice. He has seen Simmons mature right in front of his eyes.
“He has grown tremendously during his four years here,” Prioleau said. “He has dealt with a lot as a student athlete and we have been there the whole time.”
Simmons played in 11 games last season after redshirting his sophomore season due to injury. But, Simmons has persevered through the physical and emotional pain to play basketball at San Jose State.
Caleb was born in Vallejo, Calif., but moved to Phoenix, Ariz., at a young age with his family. He graduated from Desert Vista High School where he had nine double-doubles his senior year.
When he was a junior, Desert Vista was in the national headlines for the wrong reasons. A group of girls wore white t-shirts that spelled out the N-word for their senior class photo. Caleb and his teammates were part of a segment for ESPN’s Outside The Lines on how they handled the controversy.
During that time, Simmons found comfort playing with his teammates. His family always made sure he was on track. Simmons would help lead his school to the state semifinal game in 2017.
But, those accolades did not come without its trials and tribulations. He would hear microaggressions and racial slurs towards him. Desert Vista is a predominantly white high school.
“It was a tough time man,” Simmons said. “I had to check a lot of people and let them know that you cannot just say anything you want to me.”
Simmons was one of Prioleau’s first recruits. Prioleau did not have a lot of time to recruit players considering he was hired in August of 2017.
“We had a scholarship available and we needed a guard,” Prioleau said. “He played really well over the summer with the Splash City AAU team and he is a California kid.”
Simmons was coming back to the Bay Area. However, he experienced a traumatic event that would shape who is as a person forever.
During his freshman year, Simmons was walking towards a restaurant across the street from campus. He was just about to enter when a University Police Officer pulled him over for jaywalking.
Simmons, in his SJSU athletic apparel, was searched by one of the two police officers. Simmons knew one of the officers that confronted him. The officer that pulled him over was white.
That event still scars him to this day. But, he uses that experience to spread love and bring awareness to racial injustice.
“Every day matters to me,” Simmons said. “I chose to share the story now because being transparent and talking about these sensitive situations allows people to grow.”
He credits his faith, family and his fellow student athletes for supporting him. The game of basketball was always going to be there. However, Caleb was no longer going to be slient.
He became a member of the San Jose State Student Athlete Advisory Committee. He also joined the same committee for the Mountain West.
Simmons had a vision to create an organization on campus for his fellow student athletes to use their platform. SJSU women’s soccer players Natasha Harris and Darrian Reed were interested in Caleb’s vision. That is when Athletes4CHNGES was born.
Athletes4CHNGES is a group that raises awareness to create change using their platforms. Earlier this summer, they had their first fundraiser which raised $80,000 when they walked 8.46 miles. That number represents the amount of time a Minneapolis police officer knelt on George Floyd’s neck.
The money was donated to the Black Lives Matter global network. They surpassed their initial goal of raising $1,000 by a country mile. Simmons is proud of the work that the group has put in.
“It has been a blessing in itself,” Simmons said. “I have gotten a lot of different opportunities because of the work we put in.”
He has faced his fair share of criticism as well. He has gotten death threats that range from people at SJSU to high school classmates.
Caleb just moves forward with love and kindness. He knows that he might not change their perspectives but that his voice could inspire others. He hopes his activism can inspire the next generation of student athletes.
“What do you want your tombstone to say,” Simmons said. “Use your voice and get comfortable being uncomfortable.”
This has been a unique season for SJSU. The Spartans recently returned home after having played most of their games away from San Jose because of the Santa Clara County ban on contact sports. Simmons has played 18 games this season for the Spartans — he is currently averaging a career high 3.4 points per game and a field goal percentage of .321.
Caleb Simmons is more than a student athlete. The path that he is following is one that John Carlos, Tommie Smith and Dr. Harry Edwards paved for his generation. He gets told from family and friends that he should become a pastor or motivational speaker.
He has found his purpose. Leading with love and walking with Jesus is what Caleb Simmons is all about.
Follow Derrick on Twitter @derrickq42
