I LOVE “feel good” stories.

With so much negativity going on in the world, it often seems the positive stories simply get kicked to the curb.

Not much has changed in the media since I was a budding journalism student in New York City. I learned early on that there are two sayings that are common in every newsroom across the country: 1) Sex sells and 2) If it bleeds it leads.

Well, this story doesn’t bleed, nor does it involve sex. Therefore, it’s one that you just may have missed.

Malcolm Mitchell met Kathy Rackley in an Athens, Georgia Barnes and Noble book store recently, where she proceeded to tell him all about a book club that she had recently joined. Malcolm, who never excelled beyond a junior high school reading level before entering college, asked if he could join Kathy and her friends for their once a month club meetings.

Kathy surprisingly agreed, not having a clue about the young man with whom she would soon be reading novels.

Actually, Kathy may have been just one of the few in Athens, Georgia who didn’t know the name Malcolm Mitchell. He wears Number 26 for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and was one of the top recruits in the country a few years ago. In fact, in those parts of the state of Georgia, Malcolm Mitchell is considered football royalty.

She may not have known who Malcolm Mitchell was standing in that bookstore, but in the coming weeks, she would soon come to know more about this gem of a young man.

>>>Check out this video coverage from CBS<<<

From my vantage point, the greatest part of Malcolm’s story is when he was asked by CBS reporter Steven Hartman, what his greatest accomplishment in his life has been. Even after having years of playing football under his belt and being in the national spotlight as a result of that, he told Hartman, with a big smile, that it was when he finished reading the Hunger Games series in about two days.

And why was this considered his biggest accomplishment? According to Malcolm, football comes naturally to him, it’s something he considers a “gift,” Improving his reading, however, has been a challenge and has required hard work to accomplish.

I thank you Malcolm Mitchell; for setting a good example for youth across America, but especially for young African American males like yourself. Sadly, role models outside of the home are often difficult to come by.
This is such an inspirational story and demonstrates for us all that we should never judge a book by its cover; we might just miss out on a good story.

If you know of someone else in need of a “feel good” story, please be sure to share this one. God Bless!