He Can H.E.A.L.: 50 Fascinating Male Role Models Throughout History Working in Health, Education, Arts, and Literacy

Inspire boys to be confident and caring through the biographies of 50 fascinating men, past and present, representing the under-represented fields of health, education, the arts, and literacy (HEAL).

Inspired by his own experiences as a father and policy expert, Richard Reeves’s groundbreaking book Of Boys and Men uncovered some of the ways and extents to which boys and men have been falling behind and imagined initiatives like ＂He Can H.E.A.L.＂ to inspire boys to pursue paths that they might otherwise feel are inaccessible or inappropriate for them. He says:

＂Gender equality is not a zero sum game. We can do more for boys and men without doing less for women and girls. We can be passionate about women’s rights, and compassionate towards the struggles of boys and men.＂

Working with national elementary art educator of the year Jonathan Juravich, Richard puts ＂He Can H.E.A.L.＂ into action with Yes, Boys Can!, a book for boys ages 8 to 12 that tells the stories of men who have followed their dreams, cared for others, and changed the world, conveyed through biography, illustration, and simple suggested activities.

Here are just a few of the many compassionate and enterprising men introduced:

• Booker T. Washington - educator and author
• Luther Christman - the first man inducted into the American Nursing Association’s Hall of Fame in 2004
• LeVar Burton - actor and literacy advocate
• Tom Daley - Olympian and knitter

While not all the names might be familiar, each of these life stories will inspire boys to fearlessly imagine what kind of man they could be and how they could change the world for good.

Because representation matters, and if you don’t see it, you can’t be it.

Richard V. Reeves is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. He tweets from @richardvreeves and his website is richardvreeves.com. He is also a regular a contributor to The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Affairs, and other publications. Between 2010 and 2012, Richard was director of strategy to the UK’s Deputy Prime Minister. He has also been director of Demos, the London-based political think-tank, principal policy advisor to the Minister for Welfare Reform, research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, among other roles. He is a former European Business Speaker of the Year. A former journalist on The Guardian and Observer newspapers, Richard earned a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Warwick University.

Jonathan Juravich is the 2023 National Elementary Art Teacher of the Year, 2018 Ohio Teacher of the Year and was one of four finalists for the 2018 National Teacher of the Year. He believes that by taking advantage of seemingly small moments, we can significantly impact others. Juravich is in his sixteenth year as the art educator at Liberty Tree Elementary in Powell, Ohio. Known as Mr. J, he challenges students to make the world a better place through art.