Medical students pose in front of Louisiana plantation's slave quarters for powerful photo

Wednesday, December 18, 2019
WALLACE, Louisiana -- A group of black medical students posed in front of the slave quarters of a Louisiana plantation for a powerful photo.

"Standing in front of the slave quarters of our ancestors, at The Whitney Plantation, with my medical school classmates. We are truly our ancestors' wildest dreams," Sydney Labat posted to Twitter.
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The photo, featuring Labat and 14 of her Tulane University classmates in their white coats, was posted to Twitter and liked more than 65,000 times.

"I think I speak for myself and my classmates that it was an extremely humbling experience, to say the least," Labat told Good Morning America. "We would not be here without the strength and determination of those enslaved and their strength to live and to press on."
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She said she credits her ancestors' resilience for her ability to pursue an education.

The Whitney Plantation in Wallace is one of the only plantations in the state with an exclusive focus on enslaved people, according to its website.

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