Doug Robinson: 'Fab Five' documentary brings black racial divide into focus

"How could any black person in America criticize or disparage a black couple and their children because the couple got married and stayed together?" says Cobb. "I'll tell you that the No. 1 destructive behavior in black America is out-of-wedlock births."

Hill, like Cobb, also grew up in a traditional family. His father, Calvin, graduated from Yale and became a star running back for the Dallas Cowboys in the '70s before launching a successful post-football business career; his mother, Janet, graduated from Wellesley.

Hill, who plays for the Phoenix Suns at the age of 38, wrote an articulate, sharp response to Rose's comments in the film (available at GrantHill.com). It's worth reading. "To hint that those who grew up in a household with a mother and father are somehow less black than those who did not is beyond ridiculous," says Hill.

Hill embodies the American dream for whites and blacks. His grandfather and namesake was a laborer who could not read or write until his wife taught him. His first gift to his only child, Calvin, was a set of encyclopedias.

"He wanted his only child, my father, to have a good education, so he made numerous sacrifices to see that he got an education, including attending Yale," says Hill, who has been married for 12 years and has two children. "This is part of our great tradition as black Americans. We aspire for the best or better for our children and work hard to make that happen for them. Jalen's mother is part of our great black tradition and made the same sacrifices for him."

Somehow, all of that has been lost on a generation.

email: drob@desnews.com