Rams host free football camp for kids in South LA to mark Juneteenth

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- To mark Juneteenth, the LA Rams hosted a free football camp for hundreds of kids in South Los Angeles this weekend.

More than 200 kids, from grades 2-12, were invited to the camp at Jackie Robinson Stadium. They did drills to hone their football skills, got free T-shirts and got to hang out with Rams cheerleaders and Rampage the mascot.

"I think it's great that the Rams are doing this," said one camp participant. "It makes me feel good and grateful."

Johnathan Franklin, the Rams' director of social justice, grew up in the area and attended Dorsey High School across the street from the stadium.

"Juneteenth represents freedom and hope," Franklin said. "And many times growing up in South Los Angeles you don't see the freedom because of the barriers, because of the discouragement."

He says it's exciting teaching kids about the holiday, which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. He loves inspiring them to dream big.

"When you think about hope, overcoming the struggle, communities coming together to look beyond their circumstances, we believe this was the perfect place to really celebrate what happened years ago."