A black doctor has gone viral on TikTok after asking people to treat him the same way whether he’s dressed in his scrubs or a hoodie.
Dr Emeka Okorocha, 27, an A&E doctor from east London, created the TikTok video acknowledging the differences in the way he is perceived, depending on what he is wearing.
“If you celebrate me in my scrubs, don’t hate me in my hoodie,” he wrote in the video “No to racism. No to discrimination.”
On Instagram he expanded on his reasons for filming the video, writing in the caption: “This is the message. Don’t love us just when it’s trendy or convenient. Love us when it’s hard, when you may be criticised, when you may be scared or embarrassed. That’s when we really will feel you stand with us.
“I don’t want to be clapped for and celebrated when I have my scrubs and PPE on only to see myself and others who look just like me racially profiled for wearing a simple hoodie.
“That’s the message and thanks for everybody who’s been supporting and sharing and speaking in a time like this.”
He told the Daily Mail: “I was in a group chat of doctors, and most of us are black. We were talking about it and all discussed how when people [see us] in scrubs they’ll celebrate us, but when they see you in a hoodie they fear you,” he said. “Everyone seems to love me in my scrubs and everyone is clapping for the NHS, but if I wear a hoodie, as a 6ft6 black man in an affluent neighbourhood – they’ll be scared.”
Marcus Rashford
A minister has become embroiled in a row over her response to footballer Marcus Rashford’s plea for the Government to extend its free school meal voucher scheme through the summer.
The Manchester United and England star has called on Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey to “put rivalries aside” and “make a difference”.
His plea came as Tory MP Robert Halfon, chairman of the Education Select Committee, admitted that there were “mixed views” among Conservative politicians over the extension of the free school meals programme.
On his campaign, Rashford tweeted: “When you wake up this morning and run your shower, take a second to think about parents who have had their water turned off during lockdown.”
In response, Ms Coffey posted on Twitter: “Water cannot be disconnected though.”
The comment was widely criticised, with shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds describing it as “snarky”.
In response to Ms Coffey’s tweet, Rashford said on Twitter: “I’m concerned this is the only tweet of mine you acknowledged. Please, put rivalries aside for a second, and make a difference.”
The 22-year-old penned an open letter this week asking the Government to reverse its decision not to award free school meals vouchers in England – for which nearly 1.3 million children are eligible – outside of term time.
Related – PMQs – Black lives matter but not as much as fat cats getting fatter