{"id":432674,"date":"2022-04-16T16:32:24","date_gmt":"2022-04-16T13:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/if-you-believe-young-lives-actually-matter-do-something-about-it\/"},"modified":"2022-04-16T16:32:24","modified_gmt":"2022-04-16T13:32:24","slug":"if-you-believe-young-lives-actually-matter-do-something-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/if-you-believe-young-lives-actually-matter-do-something-about-it\/","title":{"rendered":"#If you believe young lives actually matter, do something about it"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2645ccd2691\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2645ccd2691\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/if-you-believe-young-lives-actually-matter-do-something-about-it\/#%E2%80%9CIf_you_believe_young_lives_actually_matter_do_something_about_it%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;If you believe young lives actually matter, do something about it&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CIf_you_believe_young_lives_actually_matter_do_something_about_it%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;If you believe young lives actually matter, do something about it&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cYou have to stand up for yourself at all times no matter how big the person or obstacle!\u201d These are the words my father, Julius Few, Sr., would repeat to me throughout my childhood. My father was many things: An Air Force veteran. One of the first black executives hired at IBM. And, most meaningfully, he was also my best friend.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>My childhood was filled with what folks today often call \u201cchallenges.\u201d Raised in an all-white suburb of Detroit, I was called the \u201cN-word\u201d on a daily basis. But, during my senior year in high school, I decided I would no longer be a victim. Back then I was a football player and one day a pair of fellow players began hurling racial slurs at me. So I fought back \u2014 and won. Still, bullies are never satisfied. Another player came up to me and said, \u201cNo matter how many of us you beat up, you will always be the same \u2018N-word.\u2019 \u201d His words stung deeply.\u00a0But they also opened my eyes, and right there I made two promises to God: First, that I would work hard to succeed in life and, second, I would use that success to give back \u2013 and protect the voiceless.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>My mother and father believed in blazing trails and they instilled this same drive in me. At age 6, I knew I wanted to be a doctor \u2013 even though there were no doctors in our family. This was my calling, and I was going to heed it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-police.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Dr. Few's parents on their wedding day. The couple, Few says, &quot;blazed trails&quot; in everything they did.\" class=\"wp-image-21901631\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-police.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-police.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-police.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Dr. Few\u2019s parents on their wedding day. The couple, Few says, \u201cblazed trails\u201d in everything they did.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Dr. Few surrounded by some of the ambassadors from his Few Initiative. Students are selected for the program based on both their commitment to higher education and desire to support their communities.\" class=\"wp-image-21901634\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Dr. Few surrounded by some of the ambassadors from his Few Initiative. Students are selected for the program based on both their commitment to higher education and desire to support their communities.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">The Few Initiative<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I graduated from the University of Chicago Medical School with honors and completed a residency in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Surgery at the University of Michigan. I then finished my training in plastic surgery at Northwestern University and later secured surgical fellowships in New York, Atlanta and Honolulu. Like back in Michigan, I was usually the only black person wherever I went \u2013 hardly surprising since <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/plastic-surgeon-jobs\/demographics\/\">African Americans comprise barely 2% of all plastic surgeons in the US<\/a>.  Nonetheless, throughout my career I\u2019ve met generous, compassionate folks who look nothing like me. And many of these same people became vocal champions of my success.<\/p>\n<p>I wanted to do the same for others, so I helped establish <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fewinitiative.org\/\">The Few Initiative for Children<\/a> in 2016. Our initiative is not a charity. Rather, we empower students to become true community leaders. Along the way, we help them avoid scourges like gangs, truancy and violence while helping them help others achieve similar outcomes. Our initiative\u2019s ambassadors are mostly minorities who typically begin our program midway through high school. Students are selected both for their commitment to education as well as willingness to serve their communities. Mostly from the Chicago area, our ambassadors attend events such as town halls with local police to reduce tensions around accidental shootings and learn essential life-building skills like nutrition and financial literacy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students2.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Dr. Few believes in balancing physical and mental wellness, which is why fitness is such an important part of the Few Initiative. \" class=\"wp-image-21901650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Dr. Few believes in balancing physical and mental wellness, which is why fitness is such an important part of the Few Initiative. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">The Few Initiative<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students3.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Dr. Few with ambassadors from The Few Initiative, which helps mostly minority youths build crucial life skills as well as complete secondary and higher education.  \" class=\"wp-image-21901659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/julius-few-students3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Dr. Few with ambassadors from The Few Initiative, which helps mostly minority youths build crucial life skills as well as complete secondary and higher education.  <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">The Few Initiative<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Each year we average between 15 and 20 ambassadors and support their quests to complete college or university. To date, our graduation rate exceeds 90% \u2013 a tremendous success when you consider that <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pnpi.org\/black-students\/#:~:text=elite%20research%20institution.-,DEGREE%20ATTAINMENT,in%20the%20same%20age%20range.\">only 29% of African Americans adults hold bachelor degrees or higher<\/a>, compared to 45% of white Americans. To date, 25 students have successfully completed our program and 20 more are currently working on a range of community projects. Our students have graduated from Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, Morehouse and many other prestigious colleges.<\/p>\n<p>I wasn\u2019t always certain our initiative would succeed. Sometimes I worried I wasn\u2019t doing enough. But my father reminded me that I was a role model. And if I could help just one child excel, then our entire effort was worthwhile.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/students-graduation.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Studies have shown that black youth, particularly black boys, are most likely to succeed if they're surrounded by successful black role models.\" class=\"wp-image-21901665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/students-graduation.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/students-graduation.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/students-graduation.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Studies have shown that black youth, particularly black boys, are most likely to succeed if they\u2019re surrounded by successful black role models.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Kate Collins\/Ithaca Journal vi<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/students-graduation2.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"In the US, 29% of African-Americans and 45% of whites hold higher education degrees. But more than 90% of ambassadors from the Few Initiative have graduated from college.\" class=\"wp-image-21901686\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/students-graduation2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/students-graduation2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/students-graduation2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>In the US, 29% of African-Americans and 45% of whites hold higher education degrees. But more than 90% of ambassadors from the Few Initiative have graduated from college.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Kate Collins\/Ithaca Journal vi<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>His words also backed up what researchers have long known: black youth, particularly black boys, are most likely to<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2018\/03\/19\/upshot\/race-class-white-and-black-men.html\"> succeed if they\u2019re surrounded by successful black male role models<\/a>. Those men do not need to be their <em>actual fathers<\/em>; just positive role models making an impact on their lives. <\/p>\n<p>We live at a time where bad <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> has become the norm. As a recent study by the<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/2022\/01\/18\/what-happens-when-democracies-become-perniciously-polarized-pub-86190\"> Carnegie Endowment for International Peace revealed<\/a>, the US has never been more polarized politically. Which is why, even amid such great national discord, humility and humanity are the most impactful equalizers of all.\u00a0This was a lesson I learned the hard way back in the locker rooms of my youth. And it\u2019s a lesson I hope to impart to a new generation of future leaders.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Dr. Julius Few, Jr., is the founder of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fewinstitute.com\/\">Few Institute for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery <\/a>in Chicago. <\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/04\/16\/if-you-believe-young-lives-actually-matter-do-something-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;If you believe young lives actually matter, do something about it&#8221; \u201cYou have to stand up for yourself at all times no matter how big the person or obstacle!\u201d These are the words my father, Julius Few, Sr., would repeat to me throughout my childhood. My father was many things: An Air Force veteran. One&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":432675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/dr-julius-few-father.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[128085,10574,16450],"class_list":["post-432674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-16-22","tag-education","tag-equality"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=432674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/432674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/432675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=432674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=432674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=432674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}