Former NFL player and AI company founder Colin Kaepernick speaks to a group of educators and students at Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 6, 2025.
Natalie Pate / OPB
Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong kicked off the upcoming school year with a familiar message to help students learn and excel in the classroom.
The large gathering of Portland educators, elected officials and students was surprised soon after when Colin Kaepernick walked onto the stage.
The former NFL quarterback rose to national prominence for publicly kneeling during the playing of the pre-game national anthem in the 2016-17 season. Critics pushed back against his protests, which were meant to draw attention to marginalized Black communities.
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The civil rights activist and former San Francisco 49er is the founder and CEO of Lumi Story AI, an artificial intelligence company launched last year with the intent, as explained on its website, to help creators in the ever-changing digital landscape maintain creative control and stability, especially diverse creators.
Now, Lumi is partnering with Portland Public Schools in the classroom during the upcoming school year by piloting an AI literacy platform, as first reported by The Oregonian/Oregonlive. Details on the partnership so far are scarce.
Colin Kaepernick, first from right, and Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong, third from right, speak with a group of students at Benson Polytechnic High School.
Natalie Pate / OPB
Armstrong said artificial intelligence is already used in some ways in local classrooms.
Many people argue that AI can be a useful tool for efficiency and to train students for a more technologically advanced future. Some also fear it will be used as a means to replace staff with algorithms. Others point to evidence that AI is already being used as an avenue for bullying.
Kaepernick spoke to the packed Benson auditorium Wednesday morning, and later with a small group of student advisors from local middle and high schools.
“Excellence refuses to be finished,” he said in his speech. “Educators, you already know this. Every time you raise the bar, students stretch farther than they thought possible.
“Let’s make Portland Public Schools the easiest place on Earth to find greatness.”
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In her keynote address preceding Kaepernick’s remarks, PPS Superintendent Armstrong noted achievement gains she’s already seeing, such as high enrollment in career-technical classes.
She emphasized her focus on four core areas: early literacy, middle-grade math, attendance and enrollment, and four-year or “on-time” high school graduation rates.
“Growth is what is anchoring us, right?” she said. “It’s not the finish line. What I’m talking about today — we are just getting started.”
Colin Kaepernick, standing next to Kimberlee Armstrong, speaks to members of the press after a speech at Benson Polytechnic High School.
Natalie Pate / OPB
Kaepernick told reporters in a press conference after his speech that he and Superintendent Armstrong first met earlier this year through a mutual friend. When it comes to his company and education, he said they want to make sure students are prepared for the future.
“We’ve seen the impact of the digital divide,” he said. “We do not want our students playing catch-up.
“As we’re seeing new technologies show up, being able to do different things to advance our students,” he said, “we want to make sure that we’re getting those tools in front of them to help them succeed and compete with every other student across the country and the world.”
