Many African American mothers have suffered and have done without in order to provide for their children. There is more than just material things; there is knowledge and an endearing sense of self and determination against all insurmountable odds. Sonya Carson was just one of those mothers that never gave up hope that her child would one day become someone great.
With only a third grade education; she helped her son become one of the world’s most revered doctor s in the pediatric field. Some of you might have heard of the story of a boy who grew up in the inner city, poor and reared by an undereducated mother who later became the first doctor to perform separation surgery of two conjoined twins.
Have you seen the movie? The one where Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as Dr. Benjamin S. Carson a gifted Black American neurosurgeon and director of Pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital.
The movie is fittingly entitled, “Gifted Hands”. It tells a story of Benjamin Solomon Carson born in Detroit Michigan to a mother who had dropped out of the third grade. She married a Tennessee minister at the age of 13. Benjamin had one older sibling, Curtis. Mrs. Carson divorced and was left to raise both children on her own. She struggled with three jobs to make ends meet.
In school Carson had difficulty with his studies and began failing his classes. He was picked on by other children because he appeared to be slow and inattentive. He retaliated with violence. He began fighting and was known for having a quick explosive temper. His mother decided to try and turn her son’s life around before it was too late. She insisted he read at least two books a week and present a report on what he had read and his understanding of the characters. She did not allow him to play outside until he finished all his homework and she reduced his television privileges. Soon Carson was at the top of his class. He realized that he had potential and the ability to learn and see things in a different light. He understood that there was a deeper underlying meaning to everything.
