Remembering Dr. Young
Dr. Quentin Young passed away on March 7, 2016 in California, where he moved to be with his family. He was 92.
A major figure in Chicago history, Dr. Young wil be remembered for many things: he was Martin Luther King's physician while Dr. King was in Chicago; he was first on the seen to assist protesters during the Chicago 1968 Democratic Primary; he helped to found Cook County Hospital. But his major work and his passion was working toward universal healthcare. He was a founding member of the Health & Medicine Policy Research Group and a past president of Physicians for a National Health Program.
From my adolescent years to the present, I've never wavered in my belief in humanity's ability – and our collective responsibility – to bring about a more just and equitable social order. I've always believed in humanity's potential to create a more caring society.from the autobiography, Everybody In, Nobody Out: Memoirs of a Rebel Without a Pause
A memorial service will be held from 3—5 p.m. Sunday, May 22 at KAM Isaiah Israel, 5039 S. Greenwood Ave.
The Good Doctor Young
A documentary on the great civil and health care rights leader Dr. Quentin Young
"The Good Doctor Young" is a film about one of the unsung fighters for social, economic and health care justice, Dr. Quentin Young.
A physician in Chicago for over 60 years, Quentin Young co-founded and currently serves a national coordinator for Physicians for a National Health Program, a group of over 18,000 physicians, medical students and health professionals who support single payer national health insurance. He was also the chairman and co-founder of Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, an independent, not for profit research and advocacy group focused on providing quality public healthcare for low income Illinoisans.
Quentin treated Martin Luther King Jr. when violence erupted during the Chicago Freedom Movement protests and Dr. King was struck with a stone hurled from a "hateful crowd." Quentin remarked that there was always the threat of violence, but it never deterred him from showing up, and speaking up, when he encountered injustice.
Quentin was friend and personal physician to the great Chicago writers Studs Terkel and Mike Royko, as well as Harold Washington, the first African-American Mayor of Chicago. Quentin also served in the Washington administration.
Quentin has led an incredible life as an activist for social, economic and healthcare justice. We've had eleven shoots with him and his friends including Timuel Black, Professor (emeritus), City College of Chicago, and Dr. Claudia Fegan, executive medical officer for Stroger Cook County Hospital.
Quentin's story is an inspiring one. We believe it needs to be shared, especially now.
Dr. Young's story deserves a full length documentary, but we won't be able to do it without your help. The funds we raise will cover expenses such as travel, acquiring archival footage and stills, production gear, audio equipment and editing software, just to mention a few of the necessities to continue producing this important film.
Statement in Memory of Health & Medicine's Founder Quentin D. Young
Health & Medicine's Executive Director Margie Schaps shared the following statement on the passing of the organization's founder, Dr. Quentin D. Young. Additional remembrances can be found on our blog. To make a gift in memory of Dr. Young, please click here.
“Margie, what have we done today to fight the forces of reaction?” This is how I was greeted every morning by my colleague, my mentor, my friend Quentin Young at the office we shared for over 20 years at Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, where I served as the Executive Director and Quentin was the Chairman.
We’d get to work each day, sometimes beginning with talk about the County health system, sometimes the state, sometimes the nation. No matter what problem we were trying to solve, Quentin always had a quote from Shakespeare or George Bernard Shaw that would illuminate the issue. Only Quentin could pull up those quotes at exactly the right moment. He taught me that there were always lessons in great literature.
Our days would fly by…we’d write op-ed pieces together, we’d call our legislators, we’d plan a conference, we’d think of ideas for radio interviews he should have on his regular WBEZ talk show. We’d dream big and make plans, and grow our circle of colleagues every day. And did I mention that Quentin was funny—he knew so many jokes and he never tired of telling them, and I never tired of hearing them.
Quentin’s extraordinary intellect, his moral compass, combined with his total recall of history always led us to a clear path as we tried to solve the challenges in front of us. He taught me that the lessons of history should never be forgotten—that fighting for social justice, for racial justice, for health justice is not new. We must learn from struggles that came before us, learn from the failures, and build upon the successes.
Quentin taught me to always stand in solidarity with the struggles of working men and women, that no rally was too small to attend, that any opportunity to get our message across was worth taking, that every individual injustice is an injustice to all of us. In his words, you could get a lot accomplished if you didn’t have to take the credit and if you linked arms with others in struggle.
I will keep up the struggle, Quentin, and I will link arms with the thousands of people you taught and befriended, and I will share the lessons you taught me. I will do this, but some of the joy will be gone without you to share it with.
Source: http://www.hmprg.org
