Many people would feel they led a notable life if they had accomplished just one of the things Alan Page has done. He was an All-American defensive end who played on Notre Dame's national championship football team in 1966. He followed that with a Pro Football Hall of Fame career, playing in four Super Bowls as one of the Vikings' "Purple People Eaters," and becoming the first defensive player (and only one of two defensive players ever) to be named as the NFL's Most Valuable Player.
While he was still a pro athlete, he started a second career as a lawyer that led to his election to the Minnesota Supreme Court. He was on the court for 22 years until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. He's been a collector of art and artifacts of the African American experience and a children's book author with his daughter Kamie Page. With his wife, Diane, he created the Page Education Foundation, which has awarded scholarships to thousands of students of color in Minnesota. In 2018, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
No wonder why so many people were baffled when Twitter recently rejected his request for a blue check mark verification as a "notable" tweeter.
But he's not resting on his laurels. In recent years, the 76-year-old Page has been behind an effort to amend the state's Constitution to close Minnesota's academic achievement gap. In an interview edited for space and clarity, we talked with Page about the amendment proposal as well as his thoughts about racial equity in the justice system, pay for student athletes, bow ties, sousaphones and the love of his life.
The Page amendment proposal by you and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari would put an amendment to the state Constitution on the ballot, saying quality education for all children is a civil right. When you started proposing this in early 2020, it got bipartisan support. It also drew opposition from the state teachers union and some conservative commentators. What's happening with the proposal?
We haven't gotten it through either house of the Legislature. And obviously, we have to do that before it gets on the ballot. We still have strong support from the people we've had from the beginning. And opposition from those who, for whatever reason, stated or unstated, disagree. Our goal is to get it on the ballot. We're working toward that. I'm not going to speculate about the odds. Because until it's done, it's not done. I'm still excited and committed and believe this is the one thing that I have seen which will create the catalyst for change. You know Neel and I don't have any monopoly on the best answer. But nobody else has come along with anything better. We're going to proceed as though we're going to get it on the ballot, because we think if we get it on the ballot, the people of Minnesota will pass it.
You've argued that when similar initiatives have been passed in other states, it's made a difference.
It's made a difference. And our proposed amendment goes a bit further than most. As an example, Florida. They've amended their constitution, their education clause, maybe it's two or three times since 1998. And they have moved the needle. Their constitutional provision makes education a fundamental value. We would make it a right. A right, which could be vindicated, if it's not fulfilled.
It's something you could take to a court.
Yes. You know, when you think about some of the most basic rights, voting, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, those rights are fundamental and foundational. And it seems to me that educating children, ensuring the future, is both fundamental and foundational.
With both this amendment and your work providing scholarships to students of color through the Page Education Foundation, it's obvious that education is important to you. Can you talk about the role education played in your own life?
Whatever success I've had, whether it was in the law, on the athletic field, in life generally, it's grounded in having been prepared. That's what education is all about. Ideally, it provides you with the ability to think critically, analyze a problem and make decisions based on knowledge. That's been critical in my life. Education is also a tool that can mitigate the effects of racial discrimination. It's not an answer to racial discrimination. But it is a tool which can mitigate the effects of it. And clearly, in my lifetime, that has benefited me.