No free ride

The story of Kweisi Mfume is a classic American saga. Uprooted from the rural tranquility of Turners Station and thrust upon the gritty streets of West Baltimore, the child born Frizzell Gray seemed fated to become another statistic of black urban pathology. In a household shattered by domestic violence and emotional strife, Frizzell had only the strong arms of his loving mother to protect him and his three younger sisters. But when he was sixteen years old, his cancer-stricken mother died in his arms, and his world crumbled. To survive, he turned to the streets. He dropped out of school, worked odd jobs, and hustled for money. . But fate stepped in. In a life-altering moment of revelation, Frizzell saw where he was headed and realized that everything about the old Frizzell Gray would have to die. As he embarked on the journey to transform himself, he affirmed his spiritual rebirth and took the Ghanaian name Kweisi Mfume, "Conquering Son of Kings." Today, a quarter-century later, Kweisi Mfume is among the most respected and influential leaders in the United States. Mfume's journey into the nation's power elite was as rocky as it was colorful: from night GED courses to college student activism to militant radio disc jockey, where his first philosophical battles were fought against James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul." Mfume's emergence as a political figure broke every rule - he parlayed his burgeoning fame as a talk-radio provocateur to win a seat as a maverick member of the Baltimore City Council. He then took on the local political machine to represent a Congressional district that encompasses both the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich. As the newly appointed head of the NAACP, Mfume reminds us that everything has a price, and that as citizens of democracy, none of us can expect a free ride. His inspirational story serves as a reminder to all Americans, black and white, that the enduring values of hard work, loyalty, and the steadfast commitment to a vision can ignite both personal and political change.