Structural Violence and Medical Racism in Mojisola Adebayo’s Family Tree

This paper critically examines Mojiola Adebayo’s Family Tree theatrical portrayal of Henrietta Lacks’ story to explore the intersections of medical racism and the institutional exploitation of Black women’s bodies. By conceptualizing HeLa cells as “seeds” of life, the play reimagines an ecological temporality intertwined with collective memory, illustrating a continuous living network beyond death. This representation exposes the structural violence embedded in medical history, where Black women have been subjected to experimentation rather than recognized as beneficiaries of scientific progress. Medical racism emerges as a complex axis of race, class, and gendered power relations that perpetuate exclusion and oppression. Through vivid imagery of blood, tears, maternity, and soil, this play transcends borders and racial divides, repositioning Black women from marginalized victims to political and ecological agents. This paper highlights how this play fosters ethical reflection and a decolonial reconfiguration of life by revealing the historical contexts of medical racism and restoring suppressed memories.