“No one can tell me that I can’t succeed. I’ve come to believe that every goal in life is obtainable and that the only limitations are the ones you set for yourself. For some, the road to success is merely based on taking advantage of opportunities provided to them. For others, the road is much more difficult because they have to create opportunities for themselves. When you have to find a way where there seems to be none, as I sometimes had to do, success in the end is even sweeter.”

– Dr. Sampson Davis

Greetings All,

With the advent of Hurricane Irma, I had some time to re-read one of the most inspiring books, and wanted to provide you all with a review as well as shine a light on the three doctors featured.

The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream is a story about perseverance, brotherhood, education, and the turbulent yet rewarding journey towards success. Dr. George Jenkins, Dr. Rameck Hunt, and Dr. Sampson Davis grew up in the inner-city of Newark, NJ. While suffering from the trials and tribulations that many of our Black youth have to face throughout urban communities, these three doctors became friends in high school and formed a pact that would help carry them through college as well as medical school. Being each other’s support system and pushing the other to strive for the best seemed to have been the catalysts for each of them fulfilling their childhood dreams, especially during the setbacks that ultimately helped them become stronger men.

I heard about Dr. Jenkins, Hunt, and Sampson in the 9th grade, and I remember reading this book around final exam time towards the end of the year. At that time, aside from Richard Wright’s Native Son, there hadn’t been many books that I resonated with. However, The Pact ended up hitting home for me on so many different levels and the amount of inspiration I got from reading about three Black men who became doctors, even though their upbringings could’ve said otherwise, made the word “impossible” just seem like a defeatist trope for the remainder of my upbringing.

I want to encourage everyone, regardless of age, to read this book. Once you’re finished, you’ll feel like lifting weights, studying for the bar, or building a house. It’s that motivational. You can check out more information about these three brothers, including their foundation and upcoming events, on their website; their social media links are also on the site.

Until Next Time…