Matt Scott

Board Member

Matt Scott was born and raised in Eagan, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The oldest of three boys, Matt’s parents gave him the middle name Martin in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While his surroundings and peers were predominantly white, Matt grew up in a racially diverse extended family. Having a black uncle, black aunt, and biracial cousins proved to Matt at a young age that diversity among people was something to be celebrated, not feared. 

Growing up in a white suburban bubble, Matt learned about racism through Mark Twain novels. Stories of slavery made him feel awful for his country’s history, while at the same time relieved that “these times had passed.” He thought racism ended with the Civil Rights Movement. It wasn’t until Barack Obama’s presidential campaign that his eyes began opening to the racism that exists today in America. 

While attending the University of St. Thomas, Matt helped launch the UST Futbol Club with the goal of providing a space for students of all backgrounds to come together around a common bond: soccer. Matt continued to learn and pursue social equality through sports by coaching an after school soccer program for inner-city youth. During this time, Matt was introduced to US Soccer Olympian Tony Sanneh, founder of Haitian Initiative & The Sanneh Foundation. Tony would later invite Matt to Haiti to create advocacy content for their groundbreaking, life saving after school soccer + meal program. 

Since leaving Minnesota in 2014 to launch his sales career with Cintas Corporation, Matt has lived in North Dakota, Oklahoma, and currently resides in the District of Columbia. Each place offered him a unique perspective into the racial fabric of its local society and our country at large.  His wife Nina’s career as a journalist opened his eyes to a deeper and darker American reality: Systemic Racism. With the knowledge gained through her reporting, it was impossible to unsee or look past these problems any longer without action. 

Matt is extremely honored to be a member of the CommonBondz Board and help work towards a future free of racism. Matt acknowledges he has much to learn, but believes strongly in the quote by author Reni Eddo-Lodge that, “Every voice raised against racism chips away at its power.”