ference speaking invitations. And many in the audiences wanted to know the same thing Bill Cosby asked when the duo shared a stage with him in the summer of 2006: “The story that the two of you happen to be telling, it’s
sort of like the cover of the book,” Cosby said. “I want to go inside, and I want you to tell me how you went from division to algebra without stopping, without quitting. I mean how did it happen?” Nesbit gave credit to his father: “It starts with parents
and the people raising you,” he replied. He said his father “just stayed on me. He just enforced education.” Despite the troubles in Southeast, his father told him: “You’ve just got to have a one-set mind, make a go and don’t let nothing turn you away from it.”
holy Cross is a Tranquil PlaCe of rolling hills and stately buildings. The Catholic liberal arts col- lege, which counts Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas among its alumni, has an Old World feel with its wrought- iron gates, red-brick buildings surrounded by steep staircases and Jesuit cemetery in the middle of the campus. You can sometimes step from one classroom to the next
to become valedictorian of their senior class. At Hart Middle School in Southeast, Nesbit had graduated No. 1 and Leath- erman, No. 2. As tight as they were, though, their rivalry had never been cutthroat — more like that of tennis champs Venus and Serena Williams — two top-seeded scholars going for the prize, while supporting each other. If they didn’t try to hide their academic achievement,
the pair figured, maybe fellow students would see that they didn’t have to choose between being cool and smart. And maybe this could help Ballou. Both boys had heard this kind of idealism their entire
lives from their fathers, who made nearly identical decisions to shape their sons into role models: They nurtured a dedi- cation to Southeast, warts and all. They also sacrificed more lucrative jobs to be a constant presence in their sons’ lives. Leatherman’s father, John, a white man who opted to raise his biracial son with a strong black identity, gave up styling hair to teach cosmetology at Ballou during his son’s years there. Wayne White, Nesbit’s father, left his job installing TV cable to work as a teacher’s aide at nearby Hart Middle School so he could volunteer as a football coach at Ballou. Nesbit and Leatherman quickly became popular at Bal-
lou. They tutored their teammates and encouraged wayward peers to study. The team’s academic performance went up. More players earned spots in the National Honor Society and enrolled in Advanced Placement courses than longtime teachers could remember. “I feed off him; he feeds off me,” Leatherman said in
2006, explaining the friendship. “If I was by myself, without Wayne, I wouldn’t do as good.” The Washington Post first shared the friends’ story after they graduated, prompting a flood of TV, radio and con-
without seeing one black face. Nesbit, a confident guy, felt uncomfortable at first. “It really hits you in class when you’re the only black person,” he says. “In my freshman year, it was like, ‘I don’t want to raise my hand.’ ” In his English literature class one day, a white student read-
ing a poem aloud recited the N-word. Though Nesbit knew she was just reading, he felt like dashing out of the room. “People looked at me, like I’m supposed to have a reaction,” he says. Another time, a history teacher called him into her office
to interrogate him about a paper he’d turned in. The report was too good. “She said, ‘Did you write this? Did you get help?’ ” recalls Nesbit, an English major who aims to become a sports journalist for ESPN. “They never ask that to a white person. If a black person does super well, they assume you got help or you cheated.” Nesbit swallowed the pain and kept going, determined to
let his academic performance speak for him. The thing was, school, too, was now a source of frustration. Instead of being on top, they found the classwork more challenging, and both were struggling for the first time in the classroom and on the field. When times were toughest, Nesbit thought of his fa- ther’s words: You’ve just got to have a one-set mind, make a go and don’t let nothing turn you away from it. Leatherman, an art major who wants to be a restaurateur,
even contemplated leaving school. It was his sophomore year, and he was having trouble retaining what he’d studied. He couldn’t even remember simple conversations. Once, he couldn’t fall asleep for two days. A neurologist diagnosed him with post-concussion syndrome, from the cumulative effect of head injuries in high school and college. The doctor suggested he take a year off to avoid permanent damage. Leatherman sought advice from mentor and family
friend Jim Vance, the WRC-TV anchor, who traveled to Mas- sachusetts to catch one of Leatherman’s football games and take him to dinner. After discussing his tentative plan to leave, Leatherman said Vance asked bluntly: “Why the hell
OctOber 24, 2010 | The WashingTon PosT Magazine 21
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