By: Alyssa Wilson

A Black family full of medical professionals has gone viral after a photo of them in white coats was posted on LinkedIn. 

Dr. Chinyere “Chi Chi” Okpaleke posted the photo of her with her five siblings with the caption: 

“If I had to choose between The Okpaleke’s vs. The Kardashian’s…I would choose US every single time!” 

The post has since gone viral. Members of the family joined Start Your Day with Sharon Reed and Mike Hill to talk more about their professions. 

Chi Chi did not expect the picture to get as much attention as it did. “I was blown away, honestly,” she said. 

The family matriarch Celina Okpaleke expressed the pride she takes in her children and their accomplishments both in the medical field and in their own endeavors. “I’m speechless. I’m proud of my children. What can I say? I give God all glory,” she said. 

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Only 5% of doctors in the United States are Black. Chi Chi says she posted the photo as encouragement for Black students aspiring to be doctors. 

“There is a rarity in this field of Black physicians and we need to do something about it,” she said. “And I think showing that light that we do exist and we’re out there can encourage that next generation to say ‘hey, she looks like me. He looks like me. I want to become this because I see it’s real and I see it’s a reality that is possible.'” 

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