.jpg){kind=link}
Alma Levant Hayden was a brilliant chemist, one of the best in the world. In the 1960s, a miracle cure for cancer called “Krebiozen” came on the market, and Hayden wanted to find out if it was legit. But there was a problem.
She worked for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but the agency pretended like she didn’t exist! Even though she ran an FDA lab, she was NEVER allowed to be publicly associated with the agency. Why?
Scientists for the agency often had to testify in court, and the FDA was afraid the public would reject work from a Black scientist! But Hayden had proved Krebiozen was a fake. Would racism prevent her from exposing this dangerous scam?
This was one of the biggest cases in agency history – but Hayden testified anyway. She got the drug off the market and stopped the scammers from taking advantage of sick people! Her story did, however, have a final ironic twist.
She, more than anyone, would have loved the drug to be real – she later died, of cancer, at only 40 years old.
Despite a racist system that sought to discount her, her determination saved thousands of cancer victims and shows the power of perseverance. It may not save our own lives, but can be a matter of life or death for our communities.