Every other week, more than two dozen boys walk into Lewis C. Cassidy Academics Plus School in West Philadelphia wearing suits, neckties, and dress shoes. They shake hands with firm grips and maintain eye contact while speaking. They are gentlemen carrying themselves with a confidence that turns heads.

For many of them, this is their first time wearing a suit.

@6abcmatteo West Philadelphia teacher Dwayne Frazier started an afterschool club where students suit up and learn how to become ‘Distinguished Young Gentlemen.’ #philly #goodnews ♬ original sound – 6abcmatteo

West Philadelphia teacher Dwayne Frazier started an afterschool club where students suit up and learn how to become ‘Distinguished Young Gentlemen.’ #philly #goodnews ♬ original sound – 6abcmatteo

One student puts it plainly: “The first time I ever wore a suit was when I joined the Distinguished Young Gentlemen. It feels good. I think I look handsome in it.”

At the heart of all this is Dwayne Eric Frazier—a teacher, retired firefighter, and ordained reverend. He built the Distinguished Young Gentleman club (DYG) from scratch, transforming it from an after-school initiative into a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to impacting lives well beyond the classroom.

Meet the man behind the mission

Growing up in North Philadelphia, Frazier’s father taught him how to tie a necktie, polish his shoes, and look people in the eye while speaking. Those lessons stuck, following him through military service—three years of active duty in the U.S. Army and six years in the Air National Guard—and through a 26-year career with the Philadelphia Fire Department.

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After retiring from the fire department in December 2019, Frazier returned to school for his master’s in early childhood education at Lincoln University. In 2020, he began teaching elementary classes, building on his B.A. in African American studies from Temple University and an M.A. in religion from Cairn University.

DYG’s roots go back to 1996, when Frazier coached a youth basketball team called the “Distinguished Gentlemen” and used the sport to foster etiquette among Philadelphia children. The idea stayed with him, and in 2021, with support from volunteer Gordon Stewart Harrison, he formalized it as an after-school club at Cassidy Elementary.

He also credits Sleman Clark, a Temple University student who ran a mentorship camp in the neighborhood where he grew up in the 1970s, as his inspiration. That early experience of being seen and guided by an older person planted a seed that took decades to bloom.

The dress code matters at DYG, but the curriculum goes much deeper.

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The club meets weekly after school, with students required to wear suits, neckties, and dress shoes every other week. Frazier models this daily, viewing disciplined dress as a silent statement: “When you dress right, you don’t have to say a word—it speaks for you.”

Weekly lessons at DYG cover a wide range of practical life skills:

Professional etiquette: firm handshakes, strong eye contact, punctuality, how to carry a wallet, and how to dress for job interviews.

Respect and character: how to treat women, emotional regulation, and self-discipline.

Appearance and presentation: necktie-tying, shoe-polishing, and what it means to show up prepared.

Career awareness: exposure to professions beyond the ones visible to kids in their neighborhood.

Emotional intelligence is central. As Frazier says: “It’s about manners, appearances, and self-respect. Learn how to think before they speak, not react with emotions.”

He describes the program’s core values as “respect, responsibility, reading, and resilience.”

Impact beyond the classroom

Field trips are where Frazier’s vision comes into full focus.

DYG has taken students to the White House and United States Congress for civic education. In February 2024, they toured the 6abc Philadelphia newsroom, where they met the station’s general manager and on-air talent. They also visited the WDAS radio station and spoke with on-air personality Patty Jackson, who discussed what a career in broadcasting can look like.

The most ambitious trip happened in October 2025: a multi-day journey to Atlanta. DYG spent months planning and fundraising for the trip. In July, Frazier reached out to the public on Classix 107.9 FM to explain why he chose Morehouse College as the destination:

“I always wanted to go to Morehouse College. It’s an HBCU—it’s the only Black male college in the country—and it promotes positivity. I wanted to take the boys to see that.”

From October 9 to 13, the group visited Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, Tyler Perry Studios, and The Coca-Cola Company headquarters—driven by the idea: “If you can see it, you can believe it.”

Showing West Philadelphia elementary school students the campus of a prestigious HBCU gave them a tangible, lived sense that higher education is a path available to them.

After returning, one student said he wanted to become a lawyer. Another added, “I act like a gentleman, I think like a gentleman, and I look like a gentleman.”

Cassidy Elementary serves a community in which 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and 86% are Black or African American. DYG’s focus is breaking cycles of poverty and inequality by equipping boys with social and interpersonal skills. The goal is clear: to help every participant succeed in life, no matter the environment.

Frazier clearly distinguishes between the cultural influences working against young boys and what DYG aims to build.

“When we look at society today, and what the culture is doing to our young boys, we get to reel them back in and give them the basics,” he said in a 2025 feature for 6abc Philadelphia. “Basic things like coming on time. When you see a person, look them in the eye, shake their hand.”

For 8th grader Safiy Salley, the program is “a very big blessing to actually be involved in something that could really change my life.” His classmate Lance Epps, reflecting on the visit to 6abc Philadelphia, said, “It shows you’re more than you’re presented in your regular clothes. I think to myself, ‘Should I wear a suit every day?’”

That question—and the fact that a middle schooler in West Philadelphia is asking it—speaks volumes about what DYG truly represents.

A community that shows up

DYG relies on donations and volunteers. The organization is officially registered as Distinguished Young Gentlemen of America Inc. and holds 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Contributions help fund field trips, provide students with suits, and sustain the program week after week. If this story moved you, visit DYG’s website to donate or learn more.

DYG shows that with one person’s vision—and a suit—lasting change is possible.

In March 2023, after months of preparation and paperwork, Anita Omary arrived in the United States from her native Afghanistan to build a better life. Once she arrived in Connecticut, however, the experience was anything but easy.

“When I first arrived, everything felt so strange—the weather, the environment, the people,” Omary recalled. Omary had not only left behind her extended family and friends in Afghanistan, she left her career managing child protective cases and supporting refugee communities behind as well. Even more challenging, Anita was five months pregnant at the time, and because her husband was unable to obtain a travel visa, she found herself having to navigate a new language, a different culture, and an unfamiliar country entirely on her own.

“I went through a period of deep disappointment and depression, where I wasn’t able to do much for myself,” Omary said.

Then something incredible happened: Omary met a woman who would become her close friend, offering support that would change her experience as a refugee—and ultimately the trajectory of her entire life.

Understanding the journey

Like Anita Omary, tens of thousands of people come to the United States each year seeking safety from war, political violence, religious persecution, and other threats. Yet escaping danger, unfortunately, is only the first challenge. Once here, immigrant and refugee families must deal with the loss of displacement, while at the same time facing language barriers, adapting to a new culture, and sometimes even facing social stigma and anti-immigrant biases.

Welcoming immigrant and refugee neighbors strengthens the nation and benefits everyone—and according to Anita Omary, small, simple acts of human kindness can make the greatest difference in helping them feel safe, valued, and truly at home.

Anita Omary was receiving prenatal checkups at a woman’s health center in West Haven when she met Dee, a nurse.

“She immediately recognized that I was new, and that I was struggling,” Omary said. “From that moment on, she became my support system.”

Dee started checking in on Omary throughout her pregnancy, both inside the clinic and out.

“She would call me and ask am I okay, am I eating, am I healthy,” Omary said. “She helped me with things I didn’t even realize I needed, like getting an air conditioner for my small, hot room.”

Soon, Dee was helping Omary apply for jobs and taking her on driving lessons every weekend. With her help, Omary landed a job, passed her road test on the first attempt, and even enrolled at the University of New Haven to pursue her master’s degree. Dee and Omary became like family. After Omary’s son, Osman, was born, Dee spent five days in the hospital at her side, bringing her halal food and brushing her hair in the same way Omary’s mother used to. When Omary’s postpartum pain became too great for her to lift Osman’s car seat, Dee accompanied her to his doctor’s appointments and carried the baby for her.

“Her support truly changed my life,” Omary said. “Her motivation, compassion, and support gave me hope. It gave me a sense of stability and confidence. I didn’t feel alone, because of her.”

More than that, the experience gave Omary a new resolve to help other people.

“That experience has deeply shaped the way I give back,” she said. “I want to be that source of encouragement and support for others that my friend was for me.”

Extending the welcome

Omary is now flourishing. She currently works as a career development specialist as she continues her Master’s degree. She also, as a member of the Refugee Storytellers Collective, helps advocate for refugee and immigrant families by connecting them with resources—and teaches local communities how to best welcome newcomers. “Welcoming new families today has many challenges,” Omary said. “One major barrier is access to English classes. Many newcomers, especially those who have just arrived, often put their names on long wait lists and for months there are no available spots.” For women with children, the lack of available childcare makes attending English classes, or working outside the home, especially difficult.

Omary stresses that sometimes small, everyday acts of kindness can make the biggest difference to immigrant and refugee families.

“Welcome is not about big gestures, but about small, consistent acts of care that remind you that you belong,” Omary said. Receiving a compliment on her dress or her son from a stranger in the grocery store was incredibly uplifting during her early days as a newcomer, and Omary remembers how even the smallest gestures of kindness gave her hope that she could thrive and build a new life here.

“I built my new life, but I didn’t do it alone,” Omary said. “Community and kindness were my greatest strengths.”

Are you in? Click here to join the Refugee Advocacy Lab and sign the #WeWillWelcome pledge and complete one small act of welcome in your community. Together, with small, meaningful steps, we can build communities where everyone feels safe.

This article is part of Upworthy’s “The Threads Between U.S.” series that highlights what we have in common thanks to the generous support from the Levi Strauss Foundation, whose grantmaking is committed to creating a culture of belonging.

Have you ever been in a meeting where something appeared…off, but you couldn’t explain why? That subtle feeling is the Icelandic concept of intuition known as InnSæi (pronounced “in-sy-ay”).

While many of us dismiss gut feelings as “woo woo,” neuroscience is beginning to prove otherwise. Research from institutions like the Max Planck Institute for Human Development shows that our intuition is very real. Researchers report that intuition results from our unconscious mind processing information much faster than our rational brain. Your body senses subtle clues and patterns you don’t consciously notice, communicating through hunches and that feeling of “just knowing.”

In our hyperconnected world, we’ve grown distant from this inner wisdom. Notifications ping, feeds scroll endlessly, and information floods in from every direction, taking us far away from InnSæi.

To do so, it’s worth asking: what if you could reconnect with this lost sense? What if you could tap into this hidden intelligence to make better decisions, lower stress, and handle life’s uncertainties with more confidence?

This brings us to InnSæi. Let’s explore what it means, why it’s more relevant than ever, and how you can begin cultivating it today.

The true meaning of InnSæi

The word InnSæi combines two Icelandic roots: Inn (meaning “inside” or “inward”) and ‌Sæi (to see, also evoking “sær,” meaning “sea”). This beautiful, poetic compound reflects three connected aspects of intuition.

This refers to the ongoing activity of your unconscious mind: a place of imagination, vision, and quick pattern recognition that works below conscious awareness. Neuroscientist Joel Pearson describes intuition as “the learned, productive use of unconscious information.” Your mind is constantly active, continually connecting ideas, like a steady, ever-moving current. Research shows that our brains begin processing decisions up to seven seconds before we are........

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