Black people are resilient, inspiring, courageous, brave…and, indeed, our ancestors’ wildest dreams.
A group of Black medical students from Tulane University put that on full display this month, after taking photos – decked out in their white coats – in front of former living quarters where Black people were enslaved at the Whitney Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana.
According to NBC News, Russell Ledet and his classmates planned out the trip and photos, hoping to inspire others.
“Just thinking about being a Black doctor in America. I think more people should see this,” the 33-year-old second-year med student told the network.
And so, last Saturday the group of 15 traveled to the plantation, which was about 50 miles west of their school.
“Seeing that many Black students in training in one photo was striking. In a place that was dedicated to our ancestors and their struggles,” Sydney Labat, 24, one of the students featured in the photo told NBC. “We knew this photo was going to make people stop … and really think. I can say for myself, I definitely got emotional throughout this experience.”
“Standing in front of the slave quarters of our ancestors, at The Whitney Plantation, with my medical school classmates. We are truly our ancestors’ wildest dreams,” she quipped while sharing the electrifying photo to her Twitter.
That photo has since been retweeted more than 19,000 times and has garnered more than 83,000 likes.
Ledet added that the goal now is to get 100,000 of the pictures framed and distributed across classrooms, to boost representation and show Black kids that they can wear a white coat too.
“These kids need somebody who looks like them in an image in their classroom,” he added. “When that’s in their mind, that’s where their memories come from. They can be me.”