At the ForbesBLK Summit in Atlanta, broadcasting firebrand Stephen A. Smith took the stage with Forbes’ Randall Lane and answered a simple but revealing question: where did his confidence come from. The moment was billed as part of Forbes’ effort to highlight Black entrepreneurship and leadership, and it offered something rare in today’s news cycle — a high-profile figure talking straight about grit, mentors and personal responsibility.
Stephen A. didn’t credit a bureaucracy or a talking point; he traced his self-belief to childhood moments, a teacher who recognized his smarts, a burning passion for sports, and the harsh lessons that followed injury and setbacks — the classic American story of turning adversity into opportunity. His path from college ball to journalism, and then to national prominence, underlines how mentorship and tenacity matter more than victimhood narratives.
That’s a message conservatives have been saying for years: success flows from responsibility, work, and strong local institutions like family and mentors — not from endless government handouts or identity-driven politics. Watching Stephen A. own that truth on a stage curated by Forbes should be a shot in the arm for anyone tired of the left’s sermon about systemic doom. We need more spotlight on people who actually build wealth and character rather than celebrate grievance.
ForbesBLK’s stated mission is to advance Black capital and community, and platforms like this do valuable work when they push practical tools — networking, investing, mentorship — not just performative diversity. If the summit wants to move the needle, it should amplify programs that teach financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and real pathways to ownership, because markets and mentorship create far more sustainable prosperity than policy theater.
Stephen A.’s story is a reminder to hardworking Americans that confidence is earned, often in the quiet classrooms and gyms where someone — a coach, a teacher, a mentor — believed enough to push you forward. Conservatives should champion those real engines of advancement: family, faith, free enterprise, and the uncompromising expectation that people give their best. If more public figures followed Stephen A.’s example of personal accountability and mentorship, this country would be better off.
