The Absent Presence of Elsie Lacks: Hauntings at the Intersection of Race, Class, Gender, and Disability

In this paper, we offer a critical (crip) (re)reading of Rebecca Skloot's book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" to foreground the complex ways in which disability as a central organizing logic intersects with race, class, and gender to animate a "haunting" narrative. By centering Elsie's narrative, we call upon disability studies scholars to continue to engage in the project of dismantling ableist, capitalist, white supremacy. As such we privilege intersectionality as a critical framework in engaging disability at the intersections of race, class, and gender.