Leonard Garvey Pitts Jr. was born on October 11, 1957 in Orange, California. He displayed incredible writing skills as a kid despite his poor background from the poverty stricken area of Los Angeles. His father was a drunk and unemployed but he remained reflective on his childhood. He raced through elementary and middle school, skipping some grades and was admitted to the University of Southern California with a scholarship when he was 15. While he was still studying at USC, Pitt’s father died of throat cancer. Pitt majored in English and graduated with the greatest honor. He started working as a freelance writer and began writing for an LA magazine Soul although he was still attending school. Pitts continued to work as a freelance writer
