A group of black medical students have posed at a former slave plantation to underline what they have achieved and to inspire younger generations.
On Saturday, 16 students of Tulane’s Student National Medical Association visited the Whitney Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana, where they took pictures dressed in their white coats outside of the former slave quarters.
According to second-year medical student Russell Ledet, he came up with the idea after visiting the plantation last summer with his eight-year-old daughter.
“Her insight was: ‘This is not fair. This is not supposed to happen,’” Ledet told CNN. “So I had this idea that we need to get the black medical students at Tulane and we need to come here. We need to do this for ourselves.”
After pitching the idea of visiting the plantation dressed in all black except for their white coats to his classmates, Ledet said they were immediately on board.
Following the visit, medical student Sydney Labat shared the photos on Instagram and Twitter, where they have since gone viral.
“We are truly our ancestors’ wildest dreams,” she captioned the photos. “As physicians in training, we stood on the steps of what was once slave quarters for our ancestors. This was such a powerful experience, and it honestly brought me to tears.
“For black people pursuing a career in medicine, keep going. For our entire community, keep striving. Resilience is in our DNA.”
Since sharing the photos, people have applauded the students for the “powerful” pictures and encouraged them to keep pursuing their dreams.
“This is the most powerful picture of our generation that I’ve ever seen,” one person wrote on Twitter. “Well done, and congratulations! You are all amazing.”
Another said: “You are all incredible and this picture is phenomenal. I’m so proud of you.”
In addition to a tribute to how far they have come, the students also hope the photos will inspire others who dream of becoming doctors.
“You get a feeling, and you think this is going to be impactful and this is going to mean something,” Labat told the outlet. “It’s not about going viral or the attention… it’s about being inspirational.
“To see people who look like me on this photo would have been so substantial for me as a younger student, and that is the whole purpose.”
