In the heart of Kansas City, Mia sat alone at a corner table in a busy downtown café. The quiet hum of conversation swirled around her as she sipped on her coffee, trying to focus on the sketches sprawled out before her. The designs were her dreams, fragile yet filled with the hope of someday making it as a fashion designer. But for now, they sat hidden between the pages of a notebook—a collection of aspirations in a world that seemed to constantly undermine her.
Mia had recently graduated from college, but her ambitions often felt overshadowed by the weight of prejudice and systemic bias. She had the talent, the vision, and the drive to create something incredible. Yet, in a city where the fashion industry was dominated by long-established names and powerful networks, her path felt treacherous.
Mia’s curly hair was pulled into a stylish braid today—her signature look, full of cultural pride. But as she glanced around the café, the comments she’d overheard, or the looks she’d received from strangers, always crept into her mind. She knew that as a Black woman in a predominantly white industry, her talents would be questioned, and her presence often marginalized. The weight of it all pressed against her chest as she tucked her hair behind her ear and tried to focus on her sketches.
But today, it felt different.
A group of well-dressed patrons sat at a table near her, their conversation growing louder with each passing moment. Mia could feel their eyes on her—first, the subtle glances, then the whispers. The words she caught stung, their judgment dripping with contempt.
“Can you believe she’s even here? I don’t see people like that in places like this.”
Laughter followed, and Mia’s heart dropped into her stomach. It wasn’t the first time she’d been judged based on her appearance, but hearing it out loud in a public space—where she’d hoped to find a moment of solace—hurt more than she expected.
Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for her coffee. She wanted to confront them, to speak up, but the fear of retaliation, the fear of being further diminished, kept her rooted to her seat. It wasn’t the first time she’d been made to feel less-than, and part of her wasn’t sure it would be the last. She wondered if she’d ever really belong, if her dreams would ever have room to grow in a world so quick to judge and dismiss.
Just as she sank deeper into her thoughts, the door to the café swung open, and in walked Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback. His arrival sent a ripple of excitement through the room, and Mia’s heart skipped a beat. He was more than a local hero—he was an embodiment of resilience and success for many, a role model who had risen above adversity. His humble demeanor made him beloved across the city, and for a fleeting moment, Mia thought she saw him glance in her direction.
Then the laughter erupted again from the same table of patrons. “I guess they let anyone into places like this now,” one of them sneered. “How does someone like her even think she belongs?”
Mia froze, the sting of the words hitting harder than ever. It felt like she was the target of everything she had ever fought against. But in that instant, something changed. Patrick Mahomes turned toward the group, his face shifting from surprise to something else—something much more powerful.
“Why are you talking to her like that?” Patrick’s voice rang out across the room, his calm tone carrying a weight that no one in the café could ignore.
The group at the table went silent, and the air seemed to hold its breath. Patrick Mahomes wasn’t just a celebrity—he was someone who had stood for more than just football. He was a symbol of standing up for what was right, of using his platform to advocate for others. And now, he was using it for Mia.
The man who had been speaking looked flustered as he tried to wave off Patrick’s concern. “It’s just a joke, man. No harm meant.”
But Patrick wasn’t backing down. “It’s not funny to put people down just because they look different or have a different background. You don’t get to make someone feel small for just existing.”
Mia sat there, her breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t believe it—this wasn’t just a casual intervention. This was Patrick Mahomes standing up against the kind of prejudice that had followed her for years.
He turned to her, offering a small smile. “Don’t let them get to you,” he said gently. “People like that don’t get to define who you are or what you can do.”
Her heart swelled with a mix of gratitude and embarrassment. For a moment, the crowd felt like it had vanished. It was just her and the quarterback, who had done something no one had ever done for her before. He had stood up for her, a complete stranger, in front of a group of people who had tried to tear her down. The encounter left her speechless.
Patrick exchanged a few more words with the group, and after they sputtered out half-hearted apologies, he turned and made his way to the counter. Mia couldn’t help but feel a small flicker of hope. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she wasn’t invisible.
Days passed, but Mia couldn’t shake the memory of that moment in the café. She kept replaying it in her mind—Patrick Mahomes’ kindness and the way he stood up to injustice without hesitation. But while the encounter had sparked something inside her, her fears and doubts about her future continued to hold her back.
She spent long hours sketching in her small apartment, pouring her heart into designs that no one would likely see. She wanted to make it as a fashion designer, to create a brand that celebrated diversity and authenticity. But she was terrified—what if no one ever wanted to wear her clothes? What if her dreams were just too far out of reach?
Her first exhibition was meant to be a stepping stone, a chance to showcase her work at a local art fair. Clara, a fellow artist and new friend, had encouraged her to take the leap, even though their different backgrounds had sparked some tension. Clara came from a wealthy family and had always been surrounded by opportunities that Mia could only dream of. Mia often felt a twinge of resentment, knowing that Clara’s success seemed almost effortless, while her own journey was filled with obstacles.
The day of the exhibition arrived, and Mia felt the weight of the world pressing down on her. As she stood at her booth, a small crowd began to gather, but all Mia could hear were whispers about her designs. Some compared her work to that of more established designers. It was all too much—her insecurities resurfaced, and for a moment, she wondered if she was just an imposter.
Then, like a sign from the universe, she spotted him—Patrick Mahomes, casually walking through the exhibition with a smile and a warm presence. He wasn’t there for any particular reason, but the sight of him reignited that spark of courage inside Mia.
“Hey, it’s great to see you again!” Patrick greeted her, his voice friendly and familiar. “How’s everything going here?”
Mia smiled nervously. “It’s… it’s going okay. A lot of mixed reactions, but I’m here, trying my best.”
Patrick nodded. “That’s what counts. You keep doing your thing—people will see it.”
In that moment, Mia felt something shift inside her. Patrick Mahomes had been her unexpected source of strength, and his words acted as a balm for her bruised confidence. He didn’t just see her as a woman fighting for a place in the fashion world—he saw her as someone who had value, someone whose voice mattered.
“Keep going, Mia,” he added, his smile reassuring. “The world needs what you’ve got.”
Mia’s heart swelled. With each passing day, she began to believe that maybe she could find her place in the world of fashion. Maybe she wasn’t invisible. Maybe her dreams, too, could become a reality.
Mia’s journey was far from over. The fear of rejection and the pressures of financial instability continued to challenge her, but something had changed within her. Patrick Mahomes’ simple act of kindness had sparked a fire in Mia, one that refused to be extinguished.
She began to speak out more, using her platform to advocate for diversity and inclusion in fashion, refusing to let anyone’s prejudices define her or her work. And slowly, the world started to listen.
Mia learned that success wasn’t defined by who had the most opportunities; it was defined by those who persevered despite the odds. She wasn’t just a designer; she was a voice for everyone who had ever felt underestimated, for everyone who had ever been made to feel small.
And every day, she walked a little taller, knowing that no matter how many setbacks she faced, she had the courage to stand up for herself. Because in the end, it was her truth—her authenticity—that would define her success.
Patrick Mahomes’ activism is a chance for the NFL to show us how serious it is about social change
We’re about to find out whether $503 million in the NFL buys you juice or buys your silence.
Last week, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs broke the internet with news of the reigning Super Bowl MVP’s landmark 10-year extension, a contract that galvanized Mahomes as the present and immediate future of the league.
It came about five weeks after Mahomes’ surprising participation in the viral “Black Lives Matter” video that featured several other stars and demanded that the league recognize the scourge of police brutality and systemic racism.
We’ve since learned that Mahomes being one of the voices in that video caused commissioner Roger Goodell to take notice and respond the next day with a recorded message of his own, where he said that the NFL was wrong for not listening to players sooner when they were speaking up about those topics.
That’s power. Will Mahomes keep using that power? Will the Chiefs and the league support him?
We got a partial answer to one of those questions Tuesday, thanks to a profile of Mahomes by GQ magazine’s Clay Skipper.
Before his appearance in the players’ video, the conversation about Mahomes was different. There wasn’t a whole lot of talk about him being the NFL’s new darling as a Black quarterback in a league that historically has denigrated and maligned them.
Patrick Mahomes has used his platform to influence social change, and plans to keep doing so. Will the NFL let him? (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
In truth, Mahomes hadn’t talked much about that fact. His father, former MLB pitcher Pat Mahomes, is Black and his mother, Randi Martin, is white. The fact that he’s mixed race doesn’t matter to some; when people want to let you know what they think of Black people, they don’t consider that you’re part white.
Mahomes has opened up in recent months about how he knows now that he was privileged growing up as the son of a professional athlete who was revered in their small Texas hometown, and how that reality spared him from having to endure some of the hurtful, targeted experiences some of his teammates and fellow NFL brethren have.
“I’ve known that I’m Black. And I’m proud to be Black,” he told GQ. “And I’m proud to have a white mom too. I’m just proud of who I am. And I’ve always had that confidence in myself.”
It was that confidence, both in himself and in being on the right side of history, that led Mahomes to agree to be in the players’ video when Saints’ receiver Michael Thomas reached out. Knowing that he was potentially affecting his future contract didn’t matter.
“I understand my platform,” Mahomes said. “I’m in the middle of negotiating my next contract, to hopefully be a Kansas City Chief for a long time, but I still thought this was important enough and this was something that had to be said. It wasn’t something I could sit back on and worry about my next contract, because I needed to use my platform to help. Sometimes it’s not about money. It’s not about fame. It’s about doing what’s right.”
Since being part of the video, he has also joined LeBron James’ More than a Vote organization, helping with voter registration and voter suppression efforts, encouraging Kansas Citians to tweet him proof that they’ve registered. Working on get out the vote initiatives shouldn’t be controversial and cause Mahomes to come under criticism, but before this year wearing face masks to help stem the spread of a pandemic wouldn’t have been seen as controversial either, so time will tell.
This is where the NFL can play a role and show if Goodell’s declaration is real. Mahomes said he talked to Goodell over the phone and told the commissioner about his desire to help young adults, especially in Black communities, get registered to vote as an important first step. He also suggested to Goodell that teams can help players become more effective in their cities or in their efforts.
“I remember talking about having maybe a social-justice officer that can point people in the right direction,” Mahomes said. “So whenever you wanna help out the community, you have someone that works with the team that can help.”
Mahomes felt encouraged by the conversation, but Goodell can’t do much without team owners’ permission. Some franchise owners (cough, Jerry Jones) still haven’t done anything to acknowledge the reckoning that seems to be happening. With public sentiment toward the Black Lives Matter movement growing increasingly positive and the current sustained calls for racial equity, will Goodell keep talking to Mahomes and other top players and keep pushing club owners to do the right thing? Will Mahomes, with the backing of so many players, keep using the immense influence he has to push the league and team owners in that direction?
Or will they look at this young man and feel that he has gotten his money, more than any player in the history of the game has been promised, and therefore has gotten enough?
