White Coats for Black Lives and the Transformation of Medical Schools
On June 25, 2021, White Coats for Black Lives (WC4BL), a national organization of medical students, published its statement of vision and values. The dominant medical practice in the United States has been built on the dehumanization and exploitation of Black people, the document read, and WC4BL exists to rid the medical system of this allegedly pervasive racism. Doing so requires not only dismantling anti-Black racism, white supremacy, capitalism, imperialism, colonialism, and cisheteropatriarchy, but also dismantling fatphobia, embracing Black queer feminist praxis, and unlearning toxic medical knowledge.
Terminology aside, WC4BL is no fringe organization. It boasts more than 70 chapters at medical schools across the country, including at such top institutions as the University of North Carolina, the University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin. In 2020, when physicians around the country participated in George Floyd protests, their rallies took the organization s name. Now the group hopes to keep the movement going by injecting the concepts of identity politics into the practice of medicine.
Golly. Does this mean I’m not overweight? Nah, old white guys are probably just fat.