As a father, my heart breaks.
The starting five of the University of Kentucky basketball team - the 2012 NCAA champions - announced earlier this month that they're leaving college to go pro. It happens every year in the wake of March Madness, but as an African-American father, I feel my heart crack a little.
Yes these young champions will make money, lots of it, and will have access to instant fame.
I understand why they made the choice, but their collective decision says something about the options in front of all young African-American men. The Great Migration that saw my elders move from the farm to the factory has shifted; these days, too many men of promise move from college to pro sports.
Read the full article at CNN.com.
David J. Pate Jr, is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Helen Bader School of Social Welfare. He is a member of the Ford Foundation Scholars Network on Masculinity and the Wellbeing of African American Males.
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Kezia Williams serves as Chair of Capital Cause, a DC-based fiscally-sponsored nonprofit dedicated to engaging young philanthropists in giving. Her work with this organization has included growing the organization from five vested members to over 5,000 young professionals influenced by the message of young philanthropy. 
I am pleased that the President's FY14 Budget addresses the student loan crisis in our country. From leading the world into the age of democracy to spearheading the technological revolution, America has always been at the forefront of greatness.
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