I learned early on that it's heartbreaking to - there's the editor that comes in, and then they have to craft the movie together, and sometimes you give a whole performance that's just been cut up, and maybe it's better for it, absolutely, but you still have to deal with the loss of that.

Struggling to stay in the middle class, and I love that. That's me and my dad and my family.

In some states, not even 50 percent of black boys finish high school.

This is not a skill problem, this is a will problem. Does America have the will to make education a priority? We know the things that work. Why don't we scale up those things that do work.

I'm talking about France and Germany and Italy and Spain - new friend Germany - and I love that story, how they lead the world in some things that the world needs leadership in. Amongst them we're the only ones without national healthcare. Can't go to a hospital and not worry about falling into bankruptcy. They go to university free. We're killing our students with debt. That scares me.

The storm came. Lives were washed away. Ancient pains resurfaced. Now it is time for a sea of change.

Leonard Pitts, Jr. is the most insightful and inspiring columnist of his generation.