Mitchell says his upbringing has helped him understand both the Black and white experience in America, explaining that he grew up around more white people than Black people in the New York City suburb of Elmsford. As the son of a New York Mets executive, Mitchell spent a lot of time in his youth in MLB locker rooms and also attended two prestigious private boarding schools. “I was around wealthy white kids my whole life, so I see the other side,” Mitchell said. “I know the thoughts behind these certain actions. I’m not saying that my friends were people that really had those thoughts, but I know the ignorance that they may not even know. And I think that’s what, for me, it’s like I want to speak out on those things because there’s certain things that white people don’t even understand that are just different.