One of the perks of this job is getting to meet foster kids. It doesn’t happen that often. Generally, I will attend a youth oriented conference or like recently, I attend a toy giveway for foster youth.
When I do get to meet the kids, one of the things I have found that they enjoy is when I rattle off the list of notable former foster kids. Their little eyes light up when I mention names like Marilyn Monroe, Cher, Babe Ruth, Willie Nelson or John Lennon, who were all in care. They have no idea! You may not know either. So I thought what I would do for Black History month is shed some light on a bunch of African American foster care alumni. I can imagine a lot of the faces on the cover may have surprised you.
So let’s talk about the cover and the folks who are on it. Before we dive in to the various athletes, actors and famous advocates on the list, I’d like to share a quick thought; when I meet young black foster youth, they have great aspirations but no measuring stick for which to set their goals. They have no idea what great things former foster kids who happen to share their skin color have gone on to achieve. When they hear the names of strong black role models who came up the same way they are, you can see the hope fill their eyes and their minds start to race with the prospect of what they can achieve. That’s the reason behind the Mount Rushmore tribute.
So who’s who in the world of former foster kids that made a name for themselves? A bunch of these names are going to surprise you. As I go through the list, which I am quite sure is incomplete, some of the names will surprise you but again I feel it’s important that these names be repeated enough that they become embedded in the minds of young black youth across the nation, giving them something other than getting out of care as a goal. Had I known some of these names when I was in care I may have held my head a little higher.
The most impressive name on the list is Malcolm X, most of the folks on this list have biographies that are well known, so I won’t rehash what you already know, it’s the names that are important for me to get out into the world. Actors are a great example of the foster kid’s ability to adapt. Eddie & Charlie Murphy, Ice-T, Eriq LaSalle and Victoria Rowell have all turned their time in care into a cast of characters they could pull from on the stage and screen.
There is some questions as to why athletes make up the bulk of the notable alumni roster. Have you ever had to argue with a foster kid? Played a game of one on one with any of us? We are tenacious, focused and competitive to a fault. We have such an innate desire to succeed that it makes standing out in sports a bit easier, motivation-wise than the average athlete. Dan O’Brien was the first foster care alum to make noise in the athletic forum as an Olympian in the 80s. On the basketball court Alonzo Mourning was one of the very first players to talk about his time in care. Leon Powe was a college standout who had a respectable NBA career with the Boston Celtics.
Football is the stage where black foster care alumni have thrived in numbers. Maybe it’s the outlet for all the pent up aggression that a stint in care can evoke. Maybe it’s the recognition and satisfaction of being a top athlete. Whatever ‘it” is, “it” has driven several young men into the elite status of the NFL. Just last month Michael Oher and Patrick Willis played head to head for the NFL’s greatest prize, the Super Bowl. There were adopted players on the field as well. Other players like Jimmy Graham, Daunte Culpepper have also used there skills to make a life for themselves in pro football. A nice side effect of these high profile athletes finding fame is that it gives foster youth a measuring stick, a goal to chase and most importantly a real life example of what could be.
I have a personal debate as to whether or not one of the greatest boxers the world has ever known should be considered a foster kid. His mother died young, no father to speak of when he left juvenile hall he was placed into custody with his boxing coach. There is no clear mention of group homes or foster care that I could find in a very brief search, I will continue to research but if you have an opinion, I could use some outside points of view.
Maybe I came at the cover with a simple goal of giving young black foster youth a set of role models they may not have been aware of, but what has occurred is a desire for more celebrities to come out of the woodwork, of any race, to talk about their time in care. Help me eliminate whatever stigma is left in regards to having been in care.
That’s all I have for you this month. Back to work for me, talk to you again next issue. Keep showing you, “Care About Care.”