By Macy Meinhardt, V&V Staff Writer, CA Local News Fellow
When Kierra King walked into San Diego’s Perlman Clinic for routine lab work, she expected standard medical care. What she received instead was a degrading reminder of how deeply racism persists in healthcare. A medical assistant labeled her test tube with the name “King Kong”—a blatantly racist slur historically used to dehumanize Black people by comparing them to primates.
“I felt so small,” said King, as she described the March 28 incident in an interview with Voice & Viewpoint.
The medical assistant who created the label claimed she was typing too fast and didn’t double-check the name, labeling it as a typo. Despite “filled with rage” on the inside, King said she remained calm when she confronted medical staff, documenting the exchange on her phone, which would later be uploaded on TikTok.
King describes her composure as something out of necessity. As a Black woman, had she reacted any differently, “then I am ghetto, or have an attitude, or I’m the aggressor,” said King, in describing what is known as the ‘angry Black woman trope’.
Amassing millions of views in days, her viral video has exposed ugly truths. While many believe racism is a thing of the past, Black patients still face dehumanization in places meant to heal and provide care. The level of disbelief and downplay of the incident—as evidenced in thousands of comments listed under her video—further layers the harm, proving how badly people misunderstand racism’s persistence.
“This is just one instance,” said King, “stuff like this is happening all the time.”
“But it’s my story, and it’s an experience that I refuse to be silent about,” King said.
Systemic Failures & Institutional Response
Perlman Clinic declined to respond to Voice & Viewpoint for comment.
To King’s account, the clinic’s reaction only compounded the damage. While the medical assistant claimed the “King Kong” was a typing error, she also said that she had asked King if her name on the label was correct before handing it back to her. King claims this did not happen.
“I felt like she was trying to gaslight me straight up. Gaslight me into thinking that we went over the label when I know for a fact that we did not,” said King. The medical assistant provided King with her name and said she is welcome to report her if that is the course of action King wanted to follow.
After the video began to go viral, Perlman issued a social media apology that was later deleted and replaced with a generic statement about diversity—a pattern King recognized as damage control.
King said a representative from Perlman later reached out to her to apologize and requested to schedule a one-on-one conversation with her.
“I made the decision that I didn’t want to speak with them. I felt like all they were going to do was try to cover themselves and try to save their reputation. And I’m not about that. I’m not going to be all agreeable and be like, ‘yeah, actually, it’s okay that you called me a monkey while I went to the doctor for care,” said King.
Medical studies show that such incidents aren’t isolated. A 2023 KFF survey found that Black adults are more likely than their White peers to say they were treated unfairly or with disrespect by a health care provider due to their race and ethnicity and to report certain negative experiences.
Furthermore, over half of Black adults say they feel they must be very careful about their appearance to be treated fairly during health care visits, and roughly three in ten say they prepare for possible insults from providers or staff during health care visits, the KFF survey report states.
Public reactions to King’s video reaffirm the statistics. So-called ‘internet trolls’ have compounded the hate by commenting on her braided hair style, saying things to the effect of “you do look like a gorilla” or accusing King of faking the incident to get attention.
She also says some users were quick to poke fun or downplay the situation, “saying things like it’s not that serious. You’re being dramatic. Whats the big deal? It’s just a typo.”
“How do you not know the disgusting historical timeline of black people being referred to as monkeys. Or how does any bone in your body think that’s funny?” said King.
Moving forward and protecting your peace
The incident and the viral nature of it have left King with much to reflect on. Before it happened, she, like many people, placed a somewhat blind trust in the healthcare system. She admits that growing up, she never had consistent healthcare guidance, “My parents never instilled that in me… They didn’t have a primary doctor either,” she shared.
Even now, finding a trustworthy provider remains a challenge. “You can’t always put your finger on it, but it feels off—judgmental,” she said, describing the subtle biases she’s experienced.
King’s advice to others is clear: protect your peace. She’s now set on finding representative healthcare, preferably a Black female primary care provider, a move she considers both healing and safe.
“Although the experience was terrible, it’s now a part of my story and I now get to advocate for like, further advocate for women and people of color,” said King.