Ashleigh N. FerraraWalter Mosley13 March 2014Walter Mosley is an inspiration not only to writers, but also to people around the world, including African Americans. Walter Mosley was born as a mixed-race child; his father was an African American and his mother was a white Jew. He grew up in Los Angeles, California where his parents often told him to stay indoors because Los Angeles was very crowded with all the people living there and he could get kidnapped. For this reason, Mosley was drawn to writing. Walter Mosley was born on January 12, 1952 in Los Angeles, California as Walter Ellis Mosley. His mother, Ella, was Jewish and worked as a personnel clerk. His ancestors had emigrated from Russia. His father, Leroy Mosley (1924-2005), was an African American from Louisiana who was a custodian supervisor at a Los Angeles public school. His parents attempted to marry in 1951, but although the union was legal in California where they lived, no one would give them a marriage license. Walter Mosley loved his parents very much and losing them later in life was a great devastation to him. Walter had lost his parents in his early adult life. Speaking about their deaths, he said: “The loss of my parents really set me adrift in more ways than one. It's not just about losing them, it's about losing the chance to have a family." (Source #6) When Walter was twelve, his parents moved the family from south-central California to a more comfortable, affluent, working-class west of Los Angeles. He was raised largely in a non-political family culture, although there were racial conflicts flaring up throughout Los Angeles. When he was very young, he would sit right in front of the television. He closed his eyes as he looked because there was…half of a sheet of paper… Mosley is on the board of trustees at Goddard College. He served on the board of directors of the National Book Awards. Additionally, Mosley serves on the board of directors of the Trans Africa Forum. His presence on these boards is important because without him the boards would not be able to succeed and would forgo donations to African American organizations. Mosley seems to put others before him. This way he is able to do what he has always felt like doing, such as donating to organizations or supporting important US boards of directors. Overall, Mosley is an amazing and inspiring person. From day one, Mosley has been an encouragement and influence to humans everywhere. For me he is above all a role model because he dedicates his time to others, not just like him, but to everyone. He also cares for everyone around him and just wants to help as much as he can.