A New "Rolle" Model for African American Children.

Sometimes in the daytime, I have to read everything from programs to popular things that are happening on the news. After all, I like reading articles, keeps you in post of what going on in the world. So after hearing about every football player, rapper, and politician acting a fool, it just makes me think.

“Are there any African American Role Models?”

“Answer: Yeah!”

“Question: How come children are still narrowed –minded about things? Is it single-parent housing, bad environment, or just not being raised right?”

“Answer: Neither! Kids do not pick good role models until they feel comfortable with the choices that they have made.”

I am a sole product of bad role models and I lived in a double parent household. I didn’t want to be like my mother and father. Instead I wanted to be like Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, and Jose Canseco (I actually had an authentic Jose Canseco Jersey. Wish I could find that bad boy?). You know how that ended up (In respective order: drunk, crack, and steroids). So when I read a piece today. I will bet a nickel on how many kids know him. His name is Myron Rolle.

Let me understate Cornell West when he told Myron that “He is the future of Black America.” He is not. He is the future of “All-Americans.” I mean an All-American football star at the prestigious Florida State under legendary coach Bobby Bowden is one plus, earning a 3.75 GPA in exercise science is another, plus he can act, sing, and play an instrument is enough to say “That guy is pretty smart.” What validates him from other (including African Americans like Robert Smith, who in my mind was the perfect student athlete in the game) is that he is a Rhodes Scholar. That is enough to change not only Black America, but Americans in general. He is a feel good story in and outside the life of sports and reality. Mr. Rolle does it well, but you would not believe that no African-American child can tell you about him. They can tell you the Ne-Yo’s, the Souljah Boi’s, the Lebrons, and the Kobes, but they can never tell you about the Robert Smiths, Tony Dungys, Alan Pages, and Myron Rolles of this world. The reason is that the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles never tell them about those people. So today, to the young African American men, get to know Myron Rolle, because you will see him for many years to come in Black History.