An A&E doctor from East London in the United Kingdom has gone viral on TikTok after asking people to treat him with respect whether he was wearing his scrubs or a hoodie.
Dr Emeka Okorocha created the TikTok video, which highlights the differences in peoples' perception of him, in the wake of ongoing protests all over the world against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“If you celebrate me in my scrubs, don’t hate me in my hoodie,” the 27-year-old doctor wrote in the video, "No to racism. No to discrimination.”
Dr Okorocha also shared the video to Instagram, where he also shared a message with his followers. He wrote;
"This is the message. Don’t love is 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 hoody
"That’s the message and thanks for everybody who’s been supporting and sharing and speaking in a time like this"
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Okorocha spoke about the idea for the video. He said, “'It shows the contrast of how people see us in society,” before revealing that he and a group of doctors had discussed their experiences with discrimination when they were not dressed in scrubs.
“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,” he added.
This comes as people all over the world attend protests to call out systemic injustices carried out against black people.
As well as a call for justice, these ongoing protests are also demanding an end to police brutality and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in America and the western world.
The message is simple: Black lives matter.