Ethan Schneider Ap Lang

The two main things I have learned from this book is that, if you weren’t white, they who cares about you, and sometimes the greater good overpowers all. In the first part of that, Henrietta was treated horribly because of the color of her skin. She was not given proper medical treatment, credit for her importance in the medical field, and the overall treatment of African Americans was just awful. When I say that the greater good overpowers all, it is when Henrietta isn’t getting the correct treatment for her symptoms, but then ends up dying and having her cells spread across the world. Why the doctors were allowed to do this, I don’t know. But all I know is that  that is unjust and should not be accepted in society.

Something that surprised me in the reading process was how unknown her story was, especially by the peers of her time. Today, on the other hand, she is well known as one of the most important people in terms of modern medicine. This source is from Johns Hopkins Hospital, which was the hospital that cared for her while she dealt with her cancer. It talks about the legacy of Henrietta Lacks, and how she affects today’s society. It also mentions how consent of patients is different today. I felt this source helps connect today’s knowledge to the past’s problems.

On pages 246-247, Zakariyya(Joe Lacks) says, “Them doctors say her cells is so important and did all this and that to help people. But it didn’t do no good for her, and it don’t do no good for us. If me and my sister need something, we can’t even go see a doctor cause we can’t afford it. Only people that can get any good from my mother cells is the people that got money, and whoever sellin them cells-they get rich off our mother and we got nothing.” This quote stood out to me. It reminded me of how Henrietta’s kids have been forgotten, and how her story has been kept in the shadows. With the contribution she gave to society, its insane how doctor’s could not give her credit. Now through examining this information, I have come to the conclusion on way this is. It is because of the color of her skin. If she was a middle class white man, there is no doubt in my mind that the doctors would have credited that man and gave benefits to his family. Another possible explanation could be because of their social class. Since they are very poor, they didn’t care who these poor nobody's were, and didn’t really feel the need too.

I found this poem and there was this line that stood out to me. It said, “ Removed our shine..turning us into hidden treasures.” This poem titled, “Race Does Not Exist”, and this quote relates exactly back to what I think of when it comes to Henrietta Lacks. When the author said, “Removed our shine”, that relates to how the story of the Lacks’ has been almost removed from history until someone brought it up around 60 years later. The second part, “turning us into hidden treasures”, makes me think about how Henrietta’s cancer was turned into a vital part in many cures to many diseases. 

 The Lacks family was treated very poorly in the fact that they had no idea what was going on with her mother’s cells. It was only revealed in chapter 23 when Bobbette is talking to Gardenia’s brother-in-law, and he said that he’d been working on these HeLa cells. A main reason that the Lacks’ were kept in the dark about this was because of the color of their skin. The Lacks’ had no idea that this was going on until nearly 25 years later, and the scientists could care less about the feelings and the affect this could’ve had on the Lacks’. These white scientists thought that it was okay to test on this badly treated dead black women’s cells without the consent of the family is just wrong and unjust.

I’ve been digging in more deeply about the overall impact of the HeLa cells. They have been proven beneficial in the cures of diseases and even helped countries figure out if human cells could survive in space. Her cells have impacted society and the ways we look at modern medicine today.

When I reached Chapter 16, I realized how not just Henrietta was forgotten throughout history mainly because of the color of her skin. When scientists learned of these miracle cells, they had no idea on who they came from and didn’t really care to know. While these white scientists were getting all these awards and praise for these scientific discoveries, Lacks got no credit and her children got nothing for it. This has happened throughout history and too many people just because of their race, and it should not continue any longer.

These are just a few of those many people who have been forgotten throughout history because of the color of their skin. This relates to Lacks and how they suffered by the color of their skin.

In Chapter 13, Lacks has recently passed away and scientists are doing research on the new HeLa cells. This chapter really showed me the importance of these cells. These cells helped cure one of the deadliest viruses in the history of the United States in the polio virus. These cells also helped scientists learn of how cells reproduce and how to send cells to a different part of the world without killing them.

From just the first 20 pages, I can see how much African Americans suffered from segregation. Whether it was from the colored only bathrooms and drinking fountains, to having to sleep in a barn next to the donkeys after traveling. Not to mention they had to drive miles out of their way to get to Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the only hospitals around that served black people. Their quality of life must have been just awful. 

This article shows the real darkness of Jim Crow laws, which were a big part in keeping segregation after slavery was abolished. It was hard for blacks to survive during these times, and only a few of the majority cared for it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a4lojqjMvAk

Throughout my entire lif I’ve been told to get good grades and I always wondered why? I know how smart I am no matter what score I got on my test. To be frank, all I want from my education is success and to make money. In today’s society money means everything. You can look even at the current president. A multibillionaire in Donald Trump won the presidential election with no political expierience. Money can buy you positions of power, happiness, and honestly it can bring you love. Money is what makes people nowadays and if my education can bring that, then that is the dream.

Another thing I want from my education is happiness. Money is a part of happiness but if my education can result in me getting my dream job, then I’d do whatever it takes.

Overall, Education can make or break people, and I’m just hoping it will make me.