In spite of the poverty and the culture of violence and low expectations, he and two friends took command of their lives and now enjoy great success as doctors and community leaders. The three wrote the book titled “The Pact.” Dr. Davis wrote “Living and Dying in Brick City” to highlight the issues that plague impoverished urban zones. With boldness and sensitivity he shines a bright light on topics such as murder, addiction, domestic abuse, sexually transmitted disease, out-of -wedlock births, depression, and obesity.

One could write a book about these troublesome topics and the words would ring hollow if there was no accompanying action. Dr. Davis puts his money and his heart where his mouth is. The Three Doctors Foundation has been working to promote health, education, leadership, and mentoring. He and his friends have received national recognition for their efforts to help bring wellness, opportunity, and guidance to those languishing in a cultural wasteland.

For a half century, our government has devoted massive resources to the war on poverty, and we don’t seem to be much better for it. Many policies have exacerbated rather than helped the situation. Poverty is still rampant, schools are a national disgrace, and violence infests the culture.

The solution will not be facile. Dr. Davis makes the point well that while solutions are elusive, the cause is not race. He and his friends were able to escape the bonds of a broken culture. Many from similar roots have been unable to do this and are mired by circumstance and shattered society rather than by genetics. He is right to raise awareness and to focus on solutions that will allow individuals and families to pull up out of the mess through education and mentoring. In spite of his work, the current crisis in urban centers is still largely ignored.

Our national media and our elected representatives seem to ignore the daily tragedies in our cities. While the 26 deaths at Sandy Hook Elementary were a gigantic tragedy, these deaths pale in comparison to the 16,000 homicides in this country every year. The news programs will blab on for weeks about a sensational shooting or the arrest of some empty-headed starlet, but disregard the 44 deaths by homicide every day of the year. HALF of these deaths are young black men who fall in the streets of cities like Gary, Ind., and Birmingham, Ala.

The problems of urban violence and cultural decay will take generations to solve. I believe that most government programs formed to address these issues have been abysmal failures. Dr. Davis and his foundation properly focus on education as the avenue to success. Unfortunately our federal, state, and local governments continue to prop up school systems that cannot graduate half of the black students. Fatherless families contribute to the problem significantly. However, clearly our schools are failing these children. Those who believe the current approach is acceptable need to step back and refill their Zyprexa prescriptions before returning to the discussion.