The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South

Explaining the racial tension at the time of MCV’s first heart transplant and the history of racism in Richmond, Virginia, Jones provides context for the theft of Bruce Tucker’s organs. He specifically describes the racism embedded in the origins and history of MCV. That racism was evident in the treatment of Bruce Tucker upon his admission to the hospital and in the cursory efforts to locate next of kin or communicate information about his condition to his brother.

At the time of Bruce Tucker’s accident in 1968, no African American judges served in Virginia’s courts, and juries often lacked African American members. Although landmark civil rights legislation had passed earlier in the decade, resistance to its implementation was widespread in the South. As an example, Jones describes how a burning cross was thrown into an African American citizen’s backyard in Richmond during this time. The first Black student was admitted to MCV in 1951. However, Blacks were not allowed to attend social events at MCV until 1962. The hospital remained segregated until 1962, relegating Black patients to St. Philip Hospital, where conditions were atrocious and rat infestations were common. However, the physicians at MCV considered St.