Philanthropist Lewis Hamilton Goes on Ground for His Impactful Mission 44: “We Hope to Inspire…”

Sir Lewis Hamilton entered the world of Formula racing, being the only man of color on the track. And looking to enter his 17th season, he still is faced with the same situation. He continues to break records in a sport where nobody else looks like him. Understanding that it is difficult to be what one can’t see, he established Mission 44 to support underprivileged youngsters in STEM in the United Kingdom.

STEM translates to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Hamilton believes that to encourage more people of color to come forward, we should create an environment where there are more people of color. With this thought in mind, the 7x champion established Mission 44. A recent visit to a school organized by Teach First in collaboration with Mission 44 helped the Mercedes driver get a firsthand experience of the ground reality. He hopes the partnership between Teach First and Mission 44 motivates youngsters to explore career paths they might not consider otherwise.

In a video uploaded by Hamilton on Instagram, he said, “Growing up, I experienced many barriers in education young people are still facing today. It is this experience that led me to launch Mission 44, which today is working to create a more inclusive education system for young people so they can thrive. Through our work, we hope to inspire the next generation of black engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and inventors to enter the field. But to do this, we need more Black STEM educators and role models in the classroom.”

He further added, “I have always believed that it is hard to be what you can’t see. So I hope this partnership really helps to provide young people with greater role models in the classroom that will motivate them to explore career paths they might not have considered otherwise.”

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While Lewis has made concrete efforts to boost the representation away from the track, he wants to continue his endeavor of using his platform to raise his voice.

Lewis Hamilton will not back down from raising his voice

FIA in an update to the International Sporting Code specified that the drivers cannot use the official platform to make political, religious, or personal statements. Many thought that this ban is specifically targeted at Hamilton, and though the British Knight has stayed tight-lipped on the matter initially, he has now declared that he won’t comply.

In an interview with Christian Hewgill, Hamilton said, “We have this platform and I just feel a huge responsibility. I am not just an F1 driver who can just have success and go about my life. This is a platform to really spark change, spark conversation.”

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In the tug-of-war between FIA and the drivers, who do you think will come out victorious? Will Sir Hamilton be penalized if he doesn’t comply, or will the FIA clampdown be reviewed?