By CHEVEL JOHNSON, Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — When three young black men entered Xavier University of Louisiana in 1998 to become doctors, they knew the odds were stacked against them.
One used to deal drugs on the streets of New Orleans. Another grew up in Chicago with two drug-addicted parents. A third survived the tough streets of New York and Washington, D.C.
Still, they banded together through their pre-med classes at the nation’s only historically black Catholic institution and later through medical school and beyond. Their journey is chronicled in “Pulse of Perseverance: Three Black Doctors on Their Journey to Success.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Pierre Johnson, Maxime Madhere and Joe Semien Jr. said they wanted to show African-American boys that athletes and entertainers are not the only examples of black achievement and success.
