Opinion

Mr T taught me a lesson every kid on Chicago's South Side needs to hear

Rooftop Revelations: Here's why Mr T has always been such an inspirational figure in my life from my childhood to today

By Corey Brooks Fox News

Published September 15, 2026 10:00am EDT

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Rooftop Revelations: More monuments won't save Black America

Pastor and Project H.O.O.D. founder Corey Brooks says young Black Americans need mentorship, education, discipline and work to overcome adversity.

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I recently watched the new Netflix documentary on Mr. T. I admit it was disappointing. It felt thin and rushed to me. The filmmakers clearly had no passion for the film since it failed to capture his nature, his complexities, his faith, his service, the hardships and the depth of the road that he traveled. A 48-minute documentary is not enough to do justice to such a life. After all, this is a man who traveled from the rough and violent housing projects known as the Robert Taylor Homes to the top of the world.

Still, the documentary reminded me of why Mr. T has always been such an inspirational figure in my life, from my childhood even to now. I hold him up as a role model to my young kids at Project H.O.O.D. His life is one of hard work, doing the right thing and having a dream. Those are not clichés or empty slogans. They are the values that create opportunities in life.

Laurence Tureaud was born May 21, 1952, the second-youngest of 12 children on Chicago’s South Side. His father, a minister, left when Laurence was five. His mother, Willie, earned a living cleaning houses in the Lake Forest area of Chicago, and her income to support all her children was supplemented by an $87 monthly welfare check. They were poor, but not in family or spirit. Mr. T talks of how they went to church, loved their mother and stayed away from the gangs.

MR. T ON FAITH: 'I ANSWER ONLY TO GOD'

One of my favorite Mr. T quotes is, "I was born and raised in the ghetto, but the ghetto was not born and raised in me." Like anyone in the Robert Taylor Homes, he saw violence and all........

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