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AUSTIN WEEKLY news ■
Kidnapping victims need professional help writes Arlene Jones,
Vol. 32 No. 11
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March 14, 2018
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austinweeklynews.com
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Also serving Garfield Park
@AustinWeeklyChi
@AustinWeeklyNews
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Meett D M David id SSanders, d page 3
Area residents launch ‘deep’ mentoring in Austin Friends of the Children focuses on West Side with help from Oak Park, River Forest leaders By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Patrick Kindred met Carlos Baca in 1998 — when Kindred was entering first grade. They’ve had a bond ever since. The pair’s 20-year relationship was forged through an organization called Friends of the Children, which pairs some of the country’s most at-risk young people with salaried mentors, from the time those young people first enter the classroom until they graduate from high school. According to the organization’s data, 83 percent of young people who participate in Friends graduate with at least a high school diploma or GED, 93 percent avoid entering the juvenile justice system, and 98 percent avoid becoming parents in their teens — the three biggest risk factors for determining if an individual will live in poverty, according to the organization’s research. Now a group of people, most of them from Oak Park, River Forest and Austin, are planting a branch of Friends of the Children in the Chicago area. They’ll select 24 at-risk kids from schools on the West Side, including one elementary school in Austin, and pair them with three mentors, paid $40,000 each. Each mentor will be assigned to eight children. The mentors are responsible for sticking with the children for the next 12 years, dedicating at least four hours a week to each child. On average, mentors (who are usually of the See FRIENDS on page 10
thepulseof3.com
RE-DEFINING WHAT BLACK SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: Doctors Max Madhere, Joe Semien and Pierre Johnson who pushed themselves to the top of the medical field, say they want more black males to realize that they don’t have to change who they are to be successful.
Masters of perseverance
How Doctors Pierre Johnson, Max Madhere and Joe Semien went from Xavier to the top of their fields By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Doctors Pierre Johnson, 37, Max Madhere, 37, and Joe Semien, 40, met roughly two decades ago inside of the library at Xavier University of Louisiana during their undergraduate studies. They formed a bond that helped propel them from col-
lege, through medical school and residency to the top of their respective fields. Johnson and Joe Semien are both board-certified obstetrician-gynecologists while Madhere is a board-certified cardiothoracic anesthesiologist. The doctors recently released a book, “Pulse of Perseverance,” about their struggle, which they said is also a blueprint for
African Americans, particularly males, who may be facing odds similar to the ones they confronted while growing up. They sat for a recent phone interview ahead of their upcoming appearance in the Chicago area. On March 16, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., they’ll be at Bureau Bar, 75 E. 16th St., for a meet and greet mixer and book signing. On March 17, 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., they’ll be at Afriware Books, 1701 1st Ave.
Austin Chamber of Commerce on the move... 773.854.5848 • www.austinchicagochamber.com
See 3 DOCTORS on page 6