The cells of a woman long gone
Consent.
Break it and your punished
Usually,
That's how the story goes
That's the way it's supposed to go
The hippocratic oath.
Ethics. Principles. Confidentiality.
A promise. A vow. A pledge
Beyond race
Beyond gender
Beyond sexuality
An oath against inequality
That's how it is to be taken
That how its supposed to be took
But what if?
What if those blinded by power decide to change the rules?
To abuse their privilege with different tools
An excuse used - for the greater good?
Or naybe it's just a clinical way to own black people
Henrietta Lacks.
A woman. A human. A black person.
Hidden by a history of white erasure
The story of her life hidden in invisible ink
They didn't see her as anything other than a toy to play with
As a body to experiment with
It wasn't that she was silenced
It was more that she went unheard
Her voice was a ghost they ignored
At her most vulnerable they stole Something that was hers
Something she had the right to preserve
Her cells
Stolen from the place they called home
Observed
By doctors
Who only saw her as a catalyst for research
Copyright © Layla Riley-Hill | Year Posted 2025
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