05.26.10
A Gem in Compton
I like spending time with teenagers. Sure, the times are different now, but the issues are the same: how to deal with the opposite sex, school pressures, who are you going to take to the prom. I had so much fun when I had the opportunity not too long ago to speak to a group of students at King/Drew Medical Magnet High School in Compton, California. It was just little ole’ me standing in front of nearly 300 of them, but they and their teachers made me feel at ease. I told them about the history of black doctors in the 1800’s, and then shared with them the story of my great-grandfather, Dr. John Henry Jordan, and what life was like for him around the time he finished medical school in 1896. I showed them photos of him, his family, and his house. I touched on the life of his father-in-law, Dr. Edward Ramsey, the first black doctor in Houston. Of course, I was really into the discussion. They are my relatives, but I didn’t know how interested the students were until we opened the floor for questions.
“Why did you do all this research?”
“Why didn’t you become a doctor?”
After I explained how that would have been impossible given I am sickened at the sight of blood, I think they understood.
They asked other questions about my family and the like, but there is one question, that was asked by a serious-looking, young man, that still haunts me to this day…
“Do you think it is possible to become successful if you don’t come from a successful family?”
The question stopped me in my tracks. I was shocked, and at the same time, I wanted to run and embrace him. In what kind of a society are we living that we allow young kids to think their options are so limited? I stressed to him to never believe for an instant that his success was contingent on what his family had or didn’t have and for him to never give up on his dreams and goals no matter what they were.
I thought about it after I got home that day. Did I say enough? Did I do enough? I’m still plagued by that student’s question. He and his classmates gave me more that day than I could have ever given them. I hope they realize how much they have to offer the world. What a privilege it was to spend time with them. I think I found a gem in Compton.
