Upworthy · 14 days ago

The West Philly Club Teaching Boys to Be Gentlemen

When a retired firefighter started the Distinguished Young Gentlemen club at a West Philadelphia elementary school, he knew he was offering more than dress codes and handshakes-he was offering boys a vision of who they could become. Dwayne Frazier meets with his students every other week, requiring suits, firm grips, and eye contact, because as he puts it, "When you dress right, you don't have to say a word-it speaks for you." The club's most transformative moment came during a trip to Morehouse College, where one student saw his future unfold: "I act like a gentleman, I think like a gentleman, and I look like a gentleman." In a school where 99% of students qualify for free lunch, Frazier is quietly rewriting what's possible, teaching boys that belonging begins with seeing yourself reflected in places you've been told you don't belong.