Common has won three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. But at AIM's grand opening, he told those gathered that he "can't say anything is greater than this achievement right here."
Common is just as excited about Linyard being invited to take part in My Cause My Cleats.
"I never imagined I'd be part of a school less than two miles from where I grew up, a place rooted in the arts, creativity and self-love," Common said. "And now, to see one of our students designing a cleat for the Chicago Bears' My Cause My Cleats program, that's what it's all about, dreams realized and connecting their art to something big like the Chicago Bears. It's our kids using their gifts, being seen and knowing they belong. That connection between Art in Motion and the Bears shows what happens when community, purpose and art come together."