“David drove Henrietta nearly twenty miles to get there, not
because they preferred it, but because it was the only major hospital for miles
that treated black patients. This was the era of Jim Crow-when black people
showed up at white-only hospitals, the staff was likely to send them away, even
if it meant they might die in the parking lot. Even Hopkins, which did treat
black patients, segregated them in colored wards, and had colored-only
fountains.” (Skloot, 15)
Everyone is familiar with the act of racism, the belief that
some races are inherently superior to others and therefore have a right to
dominate them. But why was this act so prevalent in the 1950’s, almost 100
years after slavery had been abolished and we had determined that we were all
human beings and deserved to be treated on the same basis? The reason for this
is that this type of treatment was the status quo; no one went against it thus
it was seen as acceptable to practice and those who did go against it were
prosecuted by those who wanted this treatment to remain the status quo. The
thought of a black person having to drive nearly 20 miles, passing numerous
hospitals on the way to receive treatment is ridiculous. Especially for those
who may not possess a car or may be suffering from a condition that needs
treatment immediately. Even though it was the status quo at the time, how could
anyone put someone outside when they came for treatment if they knew the
consequence for that person would be death? Clearly during this time the staff
did not view black people as human beings, because no human being would sit
there and allow another one to die when the medicine to keep that human being
alive is readily available at his or her fingertips. Furthermore, it is almost
as if they viewed black people as organisms that did not deserve to be kept
alive, as though white people were the only people who got sick and were the
only ones who deserved to be cured. Even the only hospital that treated colored
patients for miles participated in this form of racism to a lesser degree, but
at least they somewhat treated their black patients like human beings. However,
of course the treatment given to the black patients was not the same as the
treatment given to the white patients. The color ward was inferior in terms of
care and treatment, but this was all they received, it was a take it or leave
it scenario and was the only choice for black people living in the area at the
time. It was either deal with the racism of the medical field or die.
Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New
York: Broadway Paperbacks, 2010. 15. Print.
”It was no surprise that she hadn't come back all those times for follow-up. For Henrietta, walking into Hopkins was like entering a foreign country where she didn't speak the language. She knew about harvesting tobacco and butchering a pig, but she'd never heard the words cervix or biopsy. She didn't read or write much, and she hadn't studied science in school. She, like most black patients, only went to Hopkins when she thought she had no choice.” (Skloot, 16)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with everything you wrote. It is ridiculous that only 64 years ago racism and discrimination were so prevalent, those chapters that we read were only the first three, and even though they were only a couple pages, we could notice multiple acts of racism that were common during that time. The beginning of the second chapter and the medical record that was mentioned on the first chapter made it clear that Henrietta and her family always had a hard life; numerous health problems and drastic deaths. Besides all those problems that were faced, they had to deal with a society that was still very racist, that saw black people as inferior human beings. Discrimination was so common that black people felt discouraged to go to the Hopkins Hospital, I imagine that the black patients would avoid going to this hospital because they thought that place isn’t where they belonged. Just the idea that people may have died only because they thought that place wasn’t for them makes me feel bad. If some people felt like that about a hospital, the only place that you could go to save your life, we could probably think that the racial prejudice was more frequent than we would think. At the same time that I get disappointed with society about all of this happening only 64 years ago, it also makes me happy to know that society is changing and improving quickly.
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