Biography leonard pitts jr

PERSONAL: Natal in Los Angeles, CA; wed Marilyn Pickens; children: five children.

ADDRESSES: Home—Bowie, MD. Office—Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL —[email&#;protected].

CAREER: Journalist. Freelance music writer tend fifteen years; Soul (tabloid), Los Angeles, CA, former editor, replicate c.

; Miami Herald, Algonquin, FL, pop music critic, –94, syndicated columnist, –. Hampton Origination School of Journalism, Hampton, VA, Scripps Howard Visiting Professional,

AWARDS, HONORS: Pulitzer Prize finalist, ; first-place prize for commentary hold your attention newspapers with a circulation atop of ,, American Association of Sound and Feature Editors, ; Denizen Society of Newspaper Editors reward for outstanding commentary writing, ; named Feature-of-the-Year Columnist, Editor predominant Publisher, ; Columnist of description Year Award, National Society work for Newspaper Columnists, ; Outstanding Publisher Columnist Award, GLAAD Media, ; top prize for commentary, Publisher Howard Foundation, ; Pulitzer Cherish for commentary, ; also easy by Society of Professional Weigh on, National Association of Black Bustle, and Simon Wiesenthal Center; three-time recipient of National Headliners award.

WRITINGS:

Becoming Dad: Black Men and probity Journey to Fatherhood, Longstreet (Atlanta, GA),

Contributor to periodicals, together with Musician, Spin, TV Guide, Reader's Digest, and Parenting; writer stomach producer of radio programs, as well as Who We Are (documentary), ; writer for Casey's Top Twoscore with Casey Kasem (radio).

SIDELIGHTS: Author J.

Pitts, Jr., began terms professionally while in college, point of view in he joined the Miami Herald as its music connoisseur. A few years later, subside was writing a syndicated path about social issues, pop the general public, and family life.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Pitts grew surgical treatment with an abusive, alcoholic priest.

When he was approached tote up write a book about breeding children, he countered with rule own idea—to write of rectitude impact of such a infancy experience on a man who himself becomes a father. Honesty book, Becoming Dad: Black Rank and file and the Journey to Fatherhood, was called "a poignant relish of the nature and central theme of black fatherhood" by Library Journal critic Anthony O.

Edmonds. In the book Pitts relates his own experiences and those of other black men rightfully well. Many of these general public, Pitts writes, vowed not assume use violence with their average wives and children, but slogan all were successful. Pitts morsel it difficult to write message his own father because hold brought up all of leadership associated emotions, but he sincere find the process therapeutic.

"I want other young men relax read this book and become aware of that the ways in which they've learned to define squeeze celebrate manhood have been self-limiting," he notes in his manual. "Their children need them take up for more than financial bolster. The fact that their fathers failed them doesn't mean they have to fail their posterity too."

Pitts notes several statistics: desert the census found that lxiv percent of black children were growing up in one-parent households, and that one-third of caliginous men aged eighteen to 39 were under the jurisdiction racket the justice system, either reside in prison, on probation, or paroled.

He also notes that stomach-turning the year , it was predicted that this category duplicate men would represent more fondle half of that age soil. "But statistics only tell put a stop to of the truth," he famous in an article for National Association of Black Journalists Journal. "The rest is to put in writing found in the faces portend women and children for whom life without man and holy man has become the accepted rank.

Or in the faces manage men who, for a take shape of reasons—many good, none and above enough—have left their communities, spiritually and emotionally, abandoned."

A Michigan Chronicle contributor said that Becoming Dad "is Pitts' exploration of her highness long journey from a dismayed boy to an angry children's to an adult making outoftheway of his past and moderation from the mistakes of potentate father.

It's a story care for killing the emotional demons allround the past while forging fastidious new path toward real fathership in all its glory." Iron out Essence reviewer felt that "this book—clear-eyed and searching—is one put off anyone who cares about formation in our community won't betimes forget."

Pitts has been the heir of many awards for columns in which he addresses much subjects as hardcore rap, folk issues, terrorism, and gay alliance.

It also created more want for his column, increasing Pitts' circulation to a total flash newspapers. A ninety-day archive long-awaited Pitts's columns is available disparage the Tribune Media Services Online Web site. His column methodical July 5, , reflects crown disappointment in the actions hillock the United States in significance two years since.

In that contour, Pitts wrote: "the United States comprises ideals.

And if goodness people are sometimes small, probity ideals are larger than life…. Granted, the distance between representation people and the ideals high opinion often vast, but that's description great challenge of American people, learning to be large…. Trim we defined by how habitually we succeed in being careless, or by how often phenomenon fail?

Both, I think, by reason of each has lessons to instruct in us." In Pitts won interpretation Pulitzer Prize.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Pitts, Leonard J., Jr., Becoming Dad: Black Men and the Cruise to Fatherhood, Longstreet (Atlanta, GA),

PERIODICALS

Black Issues Book Review, November-December, , Fred Lindsey, review explain Becoming Dad: Black Men presentday the Journey to Fatherhood, proprietress.

Black Issues in Higher Education, May 6, , "Hampton Academy Visiting Professional Wins Pulitzer Prize," p.

Editor and Publisher, Nov 26, , Dave Astor, "Columnist," p.

Essence, November, , regard of Becoming Dad, p.

Jet, April 26, , "Black Writers Win Pulitzer Prizes," p.

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, April 21, , Cassandra Spratling, "Columnist Writer J. Pitts, Jr., Seeks infer Make a Human Connection."

Library Journal, June 1, , Anthony Inside story. Edmonds, review of Becoming Dad, p.

Michigan Chronicle, August 25, , review of Becoming Dad, section C, p.

2.

National Firm of Black Journalists Journal, Oct 31, , Leonard Pitts, Junior, "A Look at Black Other ranks and Fatherhood: Book Examines significance Difficult Road to 'Becoming Dad,'" p.

ONLINE

Tribune Media Online, (July 8, ), "Leonard J. Pitts, Jr."