Med Students From Around Phila. Hold Silent Protest In Effort To Promote Racial Justice At Their Schools
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Medical students from around the country took part in the silent protest today in an effort to raise awareness about inequalities that exist in their profession.
Local students also took part in the rally.
Here in Philadelphia, medical students at the University of Pennsylvania and Jefferson University are asking that their schools make their minority admissions reflective of the country's make up.
"Social systems that we have are by nature unfair and promote inequality."
Their statistics say 30 percent of the country's population is Black or Latino, but the physician work force is a little more than 8 percent.
The protesters want 17 percent of medical schools to be Latino, 13 percent to be Black and at least 1 percent to be Native American.
"The main thing is to show that there is disparity and inequality across the board, and medical school is one of those places."
The protesters are also asking that people who live in communities around the medical school have full access to the healthcare at the academic medical centers without having to pay substantial fees.
"Healthcare is something that everyone in the world, everyone in the United States deserves, and needs and must have. And our goal as medical students and future professionals is to make sure we allow that to happen."
During the silent protest, students held signs that read "less talk more action" and stood with their mouths taped.
