Yale Pediatrics Hosts #WhiteCoatsForBlackLives Demonstration in Support of Racial Justice and
Black Lives Matter

Article by Alexa Tomassi, published June 5, 2020.

Full article is available here.

An excerpt is included below:

White Coats for Black Lives' mission is to dismantle racism in medicine and promote the health, well-being, and self-determination of people of color. Dozens of healthcare staff from the school and Yale New Haven Hospital turned out to reflect on the moment and reaffirm their commitment to the work that lies ahead. The demonstration was organized by Tanya Murtha, MD, MPH, Molly Markowitz, MD, Amanda Calhoun, MD, MPH, and Marietta Vazquez, MD, and was sponsored by the Yale Pediatrics Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

As keynote speaker, Dr. Calhoun took the megaphone and spoke to the crowd: “My name is Dr. Amanda Calhoun and I am a Pediatrics and Psychiatry intern at Yale. But long before I was a doctor, I was a Black person in America. And this white coat does not protect me. This white coat does not protect your Black colleagues. We are scared every day. We worry about our families every day. And we were hurting every day. We all are here today to stand against police brutality. But we are also here to stand against racism. We are also here to stand against anti-Blackness. If you’re here today, you have already mobilized, and I appreciate you and I welcome you. You made it. If you are here today, you are standing with us activists in this fight. If you’re here today, you’re saying ENOUGH! Enough murdering of Black people. Enough modernized lynchings of Black people. Enough systemic racism in the medical system. Enough being silent.”