Birmingham City School students presented projects about civil rights using an AI platform created by Colin Kaepernick. Through a partnership between Kaepernick and Birmingham City Schools, hundreds of 6-8 grade students from across the city have used Lumi Story AI, a classroom-safe generative artificial intelligence for classroom learning. The project they used it for is one with a strong tie to Birmingham history: conducting research and creating graphic novels about the 1963 Birmingham Children's Crusade. 'We want them to walk out of our schools and be able to take on the world. And to do that, we have to give them the opportunity to be the builders and creators,' Kaepernick said. 'When we think about AI usage we want to be very intentional with how we're using it and why we're using it – to help advance our students and help support our teachers.' Birmingham City Schools and Kaepernick formed their partnership in 2025 to introduce students to Lumi Story AI to support writing development and strengthen literacy. 'Lumi started by thinking about this AI future, literacy and supporting students through that process,' Kaepernick said. Kaepernick, famously known for kneeling during the national anthem at the start of NFL games to protest police brutality and racial inequality, works in educational philanthropy helping students strengthen their literacy skills through technology. With more than 20,000 students, Birmingham City Schools has worked to boost grades and literacy rates. The district's report card grade moved from a 71 in 2019 to a 77 in 2025, the highest in the district's history. 'It's an indication of the commitment that we have to make sure that our students have the absolute best,' Superintendent Mark Sullivan said. 'Everybody is talking about AI and how it can be used in classrooms. I think Lumi really does it right because it has safeguards and guardrails for students that help guide their thinking, not think for them.' On Tuesday, June 2, students from Hayes K-8, Green Acres Middle School, Bush Hills STEAM Academy and John Herbert Phillips Academy stood proudly on stage as they presented their projects to their peers, educators, district representatives and Kaepernick himself. The event, hosted at the historic John Herbert Phillips Academy in downtown Birmingham, showcased the middle school students' creativity, research and storytelling skills through the use of AI. The students said using Kaepernick's Lumi Story AI helped to strengthen their literacy skills and gave them a new perspective on the importance of civil rights.