Nyaja Rogers

The passage, “Black scientists and technicians, many of them women, used cells from a black woman to help save the lives of millions of Americans, most of them white.” This once again relates to abstract topic number 3 because it shows how the poor has to sell to the rich to get rich, and how only the rich can really afford different medicines.

Another oassage that I came across that relates to abstract topic number 3 is, “Only people that can get any good from my mother cells os the people that got money, and whoever selling them cells - they get rich off our mother and we get nothing...All those damn people didn’t deserve her help as far as I’m concerned.” The passage states how only rich people benefited from Heniretta’s cells. Henrietta was poor so you would think that the seller’s would make the medicines affordable, however this passage makes the reader believe that they were sold for an arm and leg, hence that the seller’s got rich off selling them and that only the rich could afford them.

Continuing with the abstract topic of alienation of race, class, or creed, I came across the passage, “John Hopkins didn’t give us no information bout nothing. That was the bad part. Not the sad part, but the bad part, cause I dont know if they didn’t give is information because they was making money out of it or if they was just wanting to keep us in the dark about it. I think they made money out of it, cause they was selling her cells all over the world and shipping them for dollars.” While I was reading this, I thought that it was because of both; that they wanted to keep them in the dark BECAUSE they were making money off of Henrietta’s cells. They saw Henrietta’s family as a poor black family and knew that if they knew everything then they would try to get the money that they were making off of Henrietta’s cells.

As I was reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, I came across the passage that said, “Can you tell me what my mama’s cells really did?...I know they did something important, but nobody tells us nothing.” This relates to the abstract topic of alienation of race and class. Henrietta cells were used and still are used to make different medicines. However, the white scientists and doctors refused to tell her black children what they were actually being used for. This gives the reader the impression that the scientists and doctors felt as though they didn’t need to tell her children anything because they didn’t want them to benefit from that thoe of information or try to get something from it.

As I was reading, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, I came across the passge, “The white Lackes know their kin all buried in here with ours cause they family. They know it, but they’ll never admit it. They just say, “Them black Lackes, they aint kin!”” This related to alienation of race and class because it shows how even the family seperated. The white half of the famoly dont claim the black half as family because of their skin color and because of their lack of money.

As I was reading, I found ideas in the book that related to the abrast topic number 3, alienation because of gender, race, class, or creed. In, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the text says, “Hopkins was one of the top hospitals in the country. It was built in 1889 as a charity hospital for the sick and poor...she led her through a single door to a colored-only exam room...” Based on this quote I notice how the hospital was specifically made to keep the poor from the rich and the black from the white.

What Do I Want From My Education ?