Living and Dying in Brick City
Page 23
Lastly, there are many others to whom I am forever indebted, those who have stood by me throughout this journey. I am lucky to call you friend, mentor, colleague, partner, brother, and sister. If I didn’t name you specifically, please know that I hold you close in my heart and pray you understand what you mean to me.
As for my Brick City, we will continue to move forward. So much good exists in Newark, and I know we are capable of reaching new heights. Our people are eager to see and be part of a better today and tomorrow. Together we can soar.
Peace, love, and blessings,
Sampson
Lisa Frazier Page
I give all honor and praise to God for working through me to help this book come alive. My prayer is that this work will be received as intended: for good. Dr. Sampson Davis, thank you for never giving up on your vision to see this book in print and for choosing me as your literary partner. My respect for you has only grown as I’ve watched you up close and learned about the acts of kindness that you were too humble to share. To Linda, our literary agent, thanks, as always, for insisting on perfection, no matter how long it took. This project is better for it. Cindy, Julie, and the team at Spiegel & Grau, your collective talent notwithstanding, I most admire how deeply you care—about your books, your authors, and the messages we spread through you to the world. I’m so honored to be under your umbrella.
To my husband, Kevin, and our children, Enjoli, Danielle, Kevin Jr., and Kyle, I love you endlessly. Thank you for your understanding and patience while sharing me with this project for nearly four years. I was blessed with terrific parents, Clinton and Nettie Frazier, and parents-in-law, Richard and Miriam Page. I am strengthened daily by the love and prayers of our entire family, including Melissa and Ezron Moses, Clifford Frazier, April Bruns, Joseph and Joyce Richardson, Zina Page, Kolin and Geraldine Page, and the most supportive nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles in the world. I couldn’t have asked for a more generous employer, The Washington Post, which granted without hesitation the time off I needed to finish this book. I learned so much during my nearly seventeen years there as a writer and editor, and despite my departure this year, I still consider myself part of the family.
So many people have helped me along this journey that I can’t call every name, but I have appreciated every kind word and deed. Nonetheless, I owe a special thanks to: Deadra and Stuart Courtney, Lavette Broussard, Tess Snipes, Cassandra and Frank Price, Veronica Smith, Cheryl Thompson, Donald Washington, Karima and Dion Haynes, Keith Woods, Milton Coleman, Vernon Loeb, Wil Haygood, DeNeen Brown, Carla Broyles, Lonnae O’Neal Parker, Avis Thomas-Lester, Monica Norton, Robert Pierre, Miranda Spivack, Erica Johnston, and my former A team of reporters, Tara Bahrampour, Michelle Boorstein, Pam Constable, Annie Gowen, Hamil Harris, and Carol Morello.
To my sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., particularly Beta Gamma chapter alumnae and our own national president, Cynthia M. A. Butler-McIntyre, thanks for always having my back. Congratulations on one hundred years of service.
Finally, I wish to thank all of my teachers and mentors, especially the late Barbara Butler, and her husband, Eugene (Coach Butler), and Mrs. Ada Hannibal Green, who through the Spartanette Service Club opened the world to me when I was a sheltered teenager growing up in the piney woods of Bogalusa, Louisiana.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and Whites Differ in Depression Risk, Treatment.” National Institute of Mental Health. National Institutes of Health, 5 Mar. 2007. Web. 18 July 2012. www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2007/african-americans-black-caribbeans-and-whites-differ-in-depression-risk-treatment.shtml.
“African Americans Disproportionately Affected by STDs.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 01 June 2003. Web. 18 July 2012. www.cdc.gov/+stdconference/+2000/+media/+AfAmericans2000.htm.
“Asthma Facts and Figures.” Asthma Facts and Figures. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, n.d. Web. 18 July 2012. www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8&sub=42.
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence: Race/Ethnicity. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 July 2012. www.bradycampaign.org/facts/gunviolence/factsethnicity.
Davis, Robert. “Many Lives Are Lost Across USA Because Emergency Services Fail.” USA Today, 20 May 2005: A1. Print.
“Final Report of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study Legacy Committee.” University of Virginia Health System. Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, 20 May 1996. Web. 18 July 2012. www.hsl.virginia.edu/+historical/+medical_history/+bad_blood/+report.cfm.
Flaherty, Mary Pat, Jenna Johnson, and Justin Jouvenal. “George Huguely Guilty of Second Degree Murder.” The Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2012: A1. Print.
Hirsley, Michael. “Rev. Clements Leaves Behind Quite a Legacy.” Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune, 23 June 1991. Web. 18 July 2012. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/+1991-06-23/+news/+9102250378_1_rev-george-clements-+legacy-+campaigns.
“Homicide Trends in the U.S.: Trends by Race.” Bureau of Justice Statistics. U.S. Department of Justice, n.d. Web. 17 July 2012. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/race.cfm.
Hu, Guoqing, Daniel Webster, and Susan P. Baker. “Hidden Homicide Increases in the USA, 1999–2005.” Journal of Urban Health 85.4 (2008): 597–606. Print.
Jones, Charisse. “Violence Brings Club Crackdown.” USA Today [Arlington], 4 Apr. 2007: A1. Print.
Kaegi, Louise. “What Color Is Your Pain.” N.p., Summer 2004. Web. 18 July 2012.
Katz, Ralph V., S. Steven Kegeles, Nancy R. Kressin, B. Lee Green, Min Qi Wang, Sherman A. James, Stefanie Luise Russell, and Cristina Claudio. “The Tuskegee Legacy Project: Willingness of Minorities to Participate in Biomedical Research.” Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 17.4 (2006): 698-715. Print.
Langley, Marty. “Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2007 Homicide Data.” Violence Policy Center. Jan. 2010. Web. 17 July 2012. www.+vpc.+org/+studies/+black+homicide10.+pdf.
McNeil Jr., Donald G. “U.S. Apologizes for Syphilis Tests in Guatemala.” The New York Times, 1 Oct. 2010: A1. Print.
“NACAC | How to Adopt.” NACAC | How to Adopt. North American Council on Adoptable Children, n.d. Web. 18 July 2012. www.nacac.org/howtoadopt/adoptiontypes.html.
“Nation’s Leading Experts Confirm College Dating Violence Is a Much Larger Problem Than Anyone Realizes.” Love Is Not Abuse: Home. Liz Claiborne Inc., 14 Sept. 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. www.+love+is+not+abuse.+com/.
Nolin, Robert. “Body Count Mounts with South Florida Nightclub Killings on the Rise.” Sun-Sentinel [Fort Lauderdale], 27 Feb. 2012: A1. Print.
Paulozzi, Leonard J., Christopher M. Jones, Karin A. Mack, Rose A. Rudd. “Vital Signs: Overdoses of Prescription Opioid Pain Relievers—United States, 1999–2008.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6043a4.htm.
“Protect Children, Not Guns 2009.” Children’s Defense Fund. Children’s Defense Fund, 16 Sept. 2009. Web. 17 July 2012. www.+childrens+defense.+org/+child-+research-+data-+publications/+data/+protect-+children-+not-+guns-+report-+2009.+html.
“Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings.” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Sept. 2011. Web. 17 July 2012. www.+samhsa.+gov/+data/+nsduh/+2k10NSDUH/+2k10Results.+pdf.
Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2010. Rep. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011. Print.
Tang, Ning, John Stein, Renee Y. Hsia, Judith Maselli, and Ralph Gonzales. “Trends and Characteristics of U.S. Emergency Department Visits, 1997–2007.” PubMed Central. National Institutes of Health, 11 Aug. 2010. Web. 18 July 2012. www.+
ncbi.+nlm.+nih.+gov/+pmc/+articles/+PMC3123697/.
Vandivere, Sharon, Karen Malm, and Laura Radel. Adoption USA: A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 2009. Print.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Sampson Davis
SAMPSON DAVIS was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. He received his bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University and his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and he completed his residency in emergency medicine at the same hospital where he was born, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
Dr. Davis is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and co-author of The New York Times bestsellers The Pact, We Beat the Street, and The Bond. The youngest physician to receive the National Medical Association’s highest honor, the Scroll of Merit, he has also received Essence and BET humanitarian awards, and was named by Essence as one of the forty most inspirational African Americans. He is a founder of The Three Doctors Foundation, focusing on health, education, leadership, and mentoring. Dr. Davis has appeared in various print publications and on numerous national television and radio news and talk shows, including Oprah, the Today show, and The View, and has served as a medical correspondent for CNN and The Tom Joyner Morning Show. He practices emergency medicine in New Jersey.
Dr. Davis is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please email drsampsondavis@gmail.com.
www.drsampsondavis.com
Lisa Frazier Page
LISA FRAZIER PAGE is a writer living in the New Orleans area. She worked for nearly seventeen years as a reporter and editor at The Washington Post and for a decade as a writer at The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans.
She was a co-writer of the New York Times bestseller The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream, published in 2002. She also collaborated with Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine, on LaNier’s 2009 memoir, A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School.
Page holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and a bachelor’s from Dillard University in New Orleans. She and her husband, Kevin, have four children.