Captain America and the first two lessons I teach my kids on Chicago's South Side

LIfe is unfair. But every single person that I know who made it made it because they took a chance on themselves. They took that step forward.

Pastor Corey Brooks, known as the "Rooftop Pastor," is the founder and Senior Pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago and the CEO of Project H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Obtain Destiny), the church's local mission. He gained national attention for his 94-day and 343-day rooftop vigils to transform the notorious "O-Block," once known as Chicago's most dangerous block, into #OpportunityBlock. Learn more at ProjectHOOD.org.

After my introduction, I gave Mackie the microphone so he could impress these young men and women with words of wisdom. Instead, what he said stunned me. He stood up and said, "We’re lying to our kids. That’s a big problem in our community. We tell our kids if they do right and they make the good grades, and they go to the programs, they will become successful. If you work hard enough, your work will pay off, and that’s not true. Success is given. It’s not earned."