On this edition of In Black America, producer and host John L. Hanson Jr. speaks with Dr. Joseph M. Hoedel, Ph.D., CEO of Character Development and Leadership, an education-based curriculum company, and author of Sports Role Models: Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3. Additionally, Hoedel has created two educational programs that are used in more than 3,500 middle and high schools across the country.
Each chapter of the book includes a story about an athlete or a coach who exemplifies a positive character trait, from sports heroes like Michael Jordan to lesser-known athletes like Erik Weihenmayer.
African American athletes like Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali had significant impacts on American culture that went far beyond their chosen sports. In Hoedel’s three-part book series, he highlights 30 of these extraordinary sports figures. Each chapter throughout the series features a short, engaging story about an athlete or coach who exemplifies positive traits such as courage, integrity, and leadership — qualities that contributed to their success both on and off the playing field.