Brandon Zylstra knows how tough it is to achieve your dream when there are obstacles in the way.

Zylstra went to a Division III college, paid his way through school, went to the Canadian Football League and is now entering his fourth year in the NFL as a wide receiver and special teams player — the third with the Panthers.

But he’s the first to admit that he doesn’t know what it’s like to experience racism. That’s part of the reason he had conversations with his friends and teammates who were Black. And it’s why he’s establishing a scholarship to help Black students who aspire to go to college and have faced adversity.

“I didn’t know racism was as prevalent as it actually is until social media became more popular and people started sharing videos and documenting everything,” Zylstra said.

Zylstra, who is from Spicer, Minnesota — less than two hours from Minneapolis — said he was moved to help after seeing the video of George Floyd’s murder and the reaction across the country.

“It just hit close to home,” he said, adding that he started having conversations with his friends. Through those conversations, he learned more about their stories and how they experienced racism. He wanted to help.

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