Several years ago, three young Black men from Newark, N.J., made a pact to beat the streets of Newark and become doctors. These men blazed trails and held up an example to other young Black men across the country that let others know that they didn’t have to be defined by the limitations of their environments.
Many years later, four newly-minted young doctors are upholding that legacy.
Maykel Desir, Chigozirim Ekeke, Justin McGee and Loic Tchokouani met at the Todd A. Bell National Resource Center on the African American male on the campus of The Ohio State University, and they made a vow to support, nurture and see each other through the grueling work of obtaining their medical degrees.
Desir, who is the oldest child of Haitian-born parents, said the group of brothers with whom he traversed through medical school comprised “the most important circle to my success,” he said.
But Desir said the support the young men provided did not stop with the acquisition of the medical degree. “That success transcends medicine. It was great to have guys around me that helped me grow academically, spiritually, and as a man. Those guys are my brothers for life.”
Tchokouani agrees. “My White Coat brethren were constant shoulders of strength I could lean on, the iron that sharpened me daily, and minds that could think outside of the box to correct negative things on campus,” he said.
