Across the country and here in Jacksonville dozens of doctors came together in unity with the Black Lives Matter Movement, kneeling in solidarity against racism and health inequality.
Dr. Adriana Cantville, a pediatrician with UF Health told First Coast News,
“We can’t just keep sitting on the sidelines.”
She and her coworkers took a knee as a call to action for the pain the country is suffering over continued police brutality towards African Americans.
“As a physician, we are entrusted with caring for people, and with healing,” Dr. Cantville said.
Today's movement, called White Coats for Black Lives, was an effort to show just that.
The movement was particularly important to Dr. Cantville, who has faced her own racism as a Hispanic female, but even she knows that comes with some privileges.
“I get the benefit of the doubt because of the color of my skin,” she said, which is something she wants to change.
By taking a knee today, she and other physicians want to spread the message that there needs to be equality in all aspects of life.
“We have to use our privilege to demand change,” Dr. Cantville said.
With the outpouring of support given to frontline workers during the coronavirus, the doctors also wanted to show their compassion and support for African Americans during this time of unrest.