Sandy Hausman reports
Richmond author Chip Jones delves into the distressing history of how the medical community used African-American bodies without family consent.
Credit Jay Paul
The Organ Thieves tells the story of an African-American man who – without the consent of his family – became the first heart donor in Virginia. Professional narrator JD Jackson reads from the book.
“In late May, 1968, Doug Wilder was in his law office on a tree-lined street in Richmond, Virginia. He was winding down from a long day of work when the phone rang. “They took my brother’s heart!” the man on the other end of the line exclaimed in horror. As one of the best-known African-American trial lawyers practicing in the state capital, Wilder was accustomed to taking random phone calls day or night. Accusations of rape, robbery and murder were not uncommon, but taking a man’s heart from his own body? Wilder had never heard of such a thing.”