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"First Do No Harm" - Local Medical Students Raise Awarness for Social Injustice

 About 50 medical students of all backgrounds at Upstate Medical University Friday held a silent demonstration to call attention police brutality and judicial injustices that target black Americans.  The students wore their white coats and held signs saying “We can’t breath” and “white coats for black lives”.

The demonstration was part of a growing national medical student movement to bring light to the cross section of public health and race. In a release, second year medical student Candace Hatten says as "future health care practitioners, they must be aware of the racial, political and socioeconomic injustices patients might face in order to better understand them." 

The protest was organized by the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), and it was sanctioned by the Upstate administration.  

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.