All young people need good role models, and black youth especially need positive and real examples beyond the famous and wealthy people they see on SportsCenter highlights and MTV Cribs. While success as a celebrity athlete or entertainer may seem like an achievable dream, the reality is that young African Americans have a much greater chance of succeeding in the professions through education and hard work-and a mentor to show them the path. Real Role Models introduces high school and college-age African Americans to twenty-three black professionals who have achieved a high level of success in their chosen fields and who tell their stories to inspire young people to pursue a professional career and do the work necessary to achieve their dreams.

Some of the individuals profiled by Joah Spearman and Louis Harrison, Jr., include Leonard Pitts, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Miami Herald; Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council; Danyel Smith, editor-in-chief of Vibe; and Dr. Tim George, Chief of Pediatric Neuroscience at Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas. They and other interviewees describe their backgrounds, career paths, and desire to give back by helping others reach their goals. Representing a wide range of occupations, these real role models prove to African American youths that a whole world of successful, rewarding careers awaits them.

The Real Role Models

Rufus Cormier, JD, Partner at the Baker Botts Law Firm, Houston, Texas

Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Washington, D.C.

Eric Motley, PhD, Managing Director of the Aspen Institute's Henry Crown Fellowship Program, Aspen, Colorado

James McIntyre, Spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, D.C.

Tracie Hall, Assistant Dean and Librarian at Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois

Kimberlydawn Wisdom, MD, Surgeon General of the State of Michigan, Lansing, Michigan

Timothy George, MD, Chief of Pediatric Neuroscience at Dell Children's Medical Center, Austin, Texas

Victoria Holloway Barbosa, MD, Ethnic Dermatologist and Former Executive for L'Oreal, Chicago, Illinois

Bill Douglas, White House Correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers, Washington, D.C.

Leonard Pitts, Jr., Columnist for the Miami Herald, Miami, Florida

Danyel Smith, Editor of Vibe Magazine, New York, New York

Ed Stewart, Managing Director of External Communications for Delta Airlines, Atlanta, Georgia

Lynn Tyson, Vice President of Investor Relations for Dell, Austin, Texas

Willie Miles, Jr., Founder and CEO of Miles Wealth Management, Houston, Texas

Horace Allen, Founder and CEO of TeamPact, Atlanta, Georgia

Deavra Daughtry, President and CEO of Excellent Care Management, Houston, Texas

Je'Caryous Johnson, Founder and CEO of I'm Ready Productions, Houston, Texas

Steve Jones, Cofounder of a graphic design company, Oakland, California

Isiah Warner, PhD, Chemistry Professor at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Gloria Ladson-Billings, PhD, Professor of Education at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

Bernard Muir, Athletic Director at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Craig Littlepage, Athletic Director at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

Beverly Kearney, Women's Track Coach at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas