‘White Coats for Black Lives’ kneels in honor of George Floyd at UMC

EL PASO, Texas -- A group first formed in 2014 that calls themselves 'White Coats for Black Lives' held a peaceful protest Friday at UMC.

Dr. Nagela Saint-Thomas, a pediatrician at El Paso Children's Hospital, organized the group to protest the death of George Floyd.

“As physicians, police brutality against black lives is a public health crisis.  And so we are here to say that we are here, we are ready to fight for it, we fight for our patients and for our black lives that have fallen,” said Dr. Saint-Thomas.

The peaceful protersters took a knee late morning for 9 minutes to remember Floyd, who died while in police custody in Minnesota. 

While on her knee, Dr. Saint-Thomas was deep in thought saying: "I was thinking about several things. This affects all aspects of not only mine, but the lives of my comrades here."

Those kneeling in solidarity were not just black people, but those of all colors who joined in.

Dr. Patricia Alzacron, a pediatrician who joined with the other medical professionals, noted clearly: "I'm Asian, I'm Filipino and I believe we also have suffered some kind of racism, and it's up to us to really stand up to people.”

Dr. Nagela Saint-Thomas is very proud to be who she is.

“I'm a daughter of a black man and a black woman.  I am the wife of a black man. I am the sister of black brothers and sisters.  I am the mother of black children,” shared the doctor.

The 'White Coats for Black Lives' movement was sparked by the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.  When it first began in 2014, students from medical schools around the country would organize "Die-Ins" where they would all lie down on the ground to remember the deaths of people of color at the hands of law enforcement.