On Monday at Morehouse College's town hall meeting, filmmaker Spike Lee joined Education Secretary Arne Duncan in issuing a call for more black men to become teachers.
"Everybody can't be a business major," Lee told the auditorium, packed with male high school and college students. "We have to educate ourselves. We have to educate our young black men."
Lee said two of his Morehouse professors significantly influenced his success. But we wonder whether a millionaire in the glamorous filmmaking industry can convince black men to pursue important but not especially lucrative work.
In the State of the Union address, President Obama said, "In South Korea, teachers are known as 'nation builders.' Here in America, it's time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect."
Now, add that respect for educators to the celebrity pep talk, and the important message about the need for black teachers might become more compelling to young men contemplating their careers.
Read more at the Huffington Post.
In other news: Mubarak: 'I Won’t Run Again.'