Clinicians across New York City joined in a “White Coats for Black Lives” march on Saturday, June 6, from Central Park’s East Meadow down Fifth Avenue to Columbus Circle. Hundreds of health care workers and medical students—wearing the requisite face masks—were demonstrating to address a range of issues, including the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and structural racism that has contributed to disparities in health, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and long before.
The event was led by White Coats for Black Lives, a medical student-run organization that was born out of demonstrations in 2014 after Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island were killed by police. Since then, the group has formed chapters around the nation with this mission statement: Eliminating racism in the practice of medicine and recognizing racism as a threat to the health and well-being of people of color.
Sites across Mount Sinai have also held vigils—including powerful events on Tuesday, June 2—in which participants observe 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence, the amount of time George Floyd was held under a police officer’s knee, suffocating to death. Demonstrations also focused on Breonna Taylor, an African-American emergency room technician who in March was killed by the police in her own home in Louisville, Kentucky.
At noon on Thursday, June 11, 1199-SEIU encouraged its members to take that pause to show solidarity for George Floyd and so many others who came before him. Many 1199 members gathered outside of Mount Sinai Beth Israel to participate. And at Mount Sinai West and Mount Sinai Morningside, vigils were led by unions including 1199 and the New York State Nurses Association. Members of hospital leadership at the sites joined in solidarity.