I read about the passing of golfer Lee Elder a couple days ago at the age of 87.

I’m not a golfer or a golf aficionado. However, I do respect trailblazers from people who look like me. Whether it’s Octavia Butler in science fiction, Nichelle Nichols in television, Charley Pride in Country Music, Jean Michel Basquiat in Art, or Mae Jemison & Ronald McNair as Astronauts show the possibilities for people of color in traditionally lilywhite spaces opening the playing field and widen the highway for others to follow.

The imagination is a powerful gift and once you see someone outside of the societal box that has been placed on them, then you can dream or imagine a new path for following generations.

Thank you Lee Elder for being a trailblazer and creating a new road and north star for those who look like me to follow. My condolences to his family and the golf aficionados who have followed his career.

By all accounts, he showed that dignity and grace still matters in a society that is moving away from it on a daily basis.

Rest in Love, Lee Elder.