RACISM IN HEALTHCARE

How Mislabeling A Black Woman “King Kong” Exposes Hidden Racism

One experience gives us a peek behind the curtain

Woman in black off shoulder dress | Photo by Leah Newhouse

A thin veil of colorblindness often conceals medical racism. Most healthcare professionals would deny harboring ill will toward their Black patients. Yet, the experiences of patients reveal their concealed prejudice. Take, for instance, a Black woman, Kierra King, who shared a recent experience with medical racism. The incident took place while she visited the Perlman Clinic in San Diego. She disclosed that someone mislabeled her blood sample as “King Kong.” This name refers to the giant fictional ape first introduced to Americans in the 1933 film. Poachers removed the primate from its natural habitat and brought it to New York City. Shortly after, he escaped the enclosure, driven by his love for a White woman, Ann Darrow. Throughout America’s history, White people often characterized Black people as ape-like. And critics have criticized the racial overtones of the film for generations. Thus, Kierra’s suggestion that workers are guilty of medical racism seems justified. What else should a Black woman think when she sees her name replaced with “King Kong” in a medical setting?

Kierra questioned two healthcare workers about her mislabeled blood sample. The first one, in the…