Benjamin Carson was born September 5, 1951 in Detroit, MI to Robert Solomon and Sonya Copeland Carson. He and his older brother Curtis were raised in one of the poorest neighborhoods. His mother encouraged them by telling them they “could be anything you want to be.” She only had a 3rd grade education, and knew how important an education was. Ben and his brother were only allowed to watch 2-3 TV shows a week (which she chose), and had to read at least 2 books a week.
Ben graduated from Detroit’s Southwestern High with honors. He received a full scholarship to Yale University. He graduated from Yale in 1973 with a BA degree. In 1977, he received a MD from the University of Michigan Medi