tgifisherDec 21, 2022
Sheril Kirshenbaum

Henrietta Lacks was a poor, Black, young mother diagnosed cervical cancer in 1951. When her cells were collected w/o consent, scientists saw they multiplied fast.

“HeLa” cells changed #science. They’re used globally to study viruses, drugs, hormones, genes, diseases & develop vaccines. Lacks passed away at 31 w no recognition.

Rebecca Skloot’s beautiful book about her life & legacy is changing that. Now her statue will replace Robert E. Lee in VA. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/20/us/henrietta-lacks-statue-roanoke-virginia.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare #history #HistoryRemix

A Statue of Henrietta Lacks Will Replace a Monument to Robert E. Lee

The statue, scheduled to be erected next fall in Roanoke, Va., is part of a local project to recognize Black history in community spaces.

Dec 21, 2022 at 10:41amMetatext
Show threadShellyDec 21, 2022
@Sheril it is a great book and happy to see some recognition for her and others who had such an impact!
Show threadSudhirDec 21, 2022
@Sheril. At last recognized! Thanks.👍🏼😊❤️🙏
Show threadShe WolfDec 21, 2022
@Sheril Her short life left a continuing legacy that still benefits us all.
Show threadAlex 🍁 🇨🇭Dec 21, 2022
@Sheril And a major case study for #ResearchEthics educators and practitioners
Show threadLeeeroyDec 21, 2022
@Sheril just a small point, and I might be wrong in relation to your post because your link is behind a pay wall. But Roanoke is in Virginia, not North Carolina.
Show threadSheril KirshenbaumDec 21, 2022
@Leeeroy Thanks for that. Corrected.
Show threadThe Real StephenDec 21, 2022
@emichan
Show threadMichele HappeDec 21, 2022
@Sheril such an amazing story. I watched a documentary on this years ago.
Show threadMichele HappeDec 21, 2022
@Sheril https://www.hbo.com/movies/the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Watch the Movie on HBO | HBO.com

Watch The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks online at HBO.com. Stream on any device any time. Explore cast information, synopsis and more.

Show threadJulia TDec 21, 2022
@Sheril Wow. What an upgrade.
Show threadTainaDec 21, 2022
@Sheril I got to work with these cells a few decades ago while studying and remember the pause it gave me when we were told their story. What makes me even sadder though is that in no way did the story include that there was no consent or who Henrietta Lacks actually was.
Show threadAngel29100Dec 28, 2022
@dianor @Sheril may I ask sth. potentially stupid? What, if she  had been asked and denied consent? How many extremly helpful things like vaccines wouldn't have been developed at the time they were? So I think I'm asking a philosophical question - when is the benefit of the many outweighing the rights ( legally and morally ) of an individual?  I'm sure there are books you could reccomend?
Show threadNLSuperman709Dec 21, 2022
@Sheril I'm shocked that it took this long to recognize this woman. Yes, by all means, build a statue in her honor.
Show threadNasty NasDec 21, 2022
@Sheril Rather have a statue of her up in VA than the guy that fought for the further enslavement of my people.
Show threadSkepticDec 21, 2022
@nandrews @Sheril there shouldn't be any confederate statues anywhere. Not only were they anti-american, The Confederacy only lasted like 4 years. I've owned shirts longer than that lol
Show threadDerrick CogburnDec 21, 2022
@Sheril Indeed, this is one of many efforts to honor her and her family that are long overdue. The book is excellent, as is the movie of the same name. I live in Annapolis, and the Crownsville hospital described in the book is a local icon with tremendous history. It is currently the focus of numerous development efforts.
Show threadR.D.LauranceDec 21, 2022
@Sheril
The likeness/memorialization of a much greater person elevated on a pedestal at that site, most certainly.
Show threadJudyLaughsDec 21, 2022
@Sheril Wonderful book.
Show threadSheila ArnoldDec 21, 2022
@Sheril love that she s getting this recognition.
Show threadElvin JoelDec 21, 2022
@Sheril Justice 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Show threadMazzyDec 21, 2022
@Sheril Rebecca Skloot's book is an amazing read. There's so much about medial ethics, social history and injustice as well as the extraordinary scientific story. I'm really glad to have read it and am delighted to think that Henrietta Lacks will be better known for her unwitting contribution to medicine.
Show threadKSGreenDec 21, 2022
@Sheril the book was amazing and I am so happy to hear she will replace Robert E. Lee.
Show threadNurseAbbyDec 21, 2022
@Sheril I read this book several years ago. I was both appalled by the actions of the medical community and profoundly grateful to Miss Lacks contributions to the study of cancer. Her story should be taught in nursing and medical schools.
Show threadMr. CDec 21, 2022
@Sheril
Such an important part of our being scientifically a historical fact. Honour respect and restitution is long overdue for this queen and her families estate.
Show threadAmyArtBoston @🐄🌱 (she/her)Dec 21, 2022
@Sheril I read about her last year.
Show threadmintmichDec 21, 2022
@Sheril oh yes. I had HeLa in the sequencer. Thanks for the (somewhat sad) reminder
Show threadTheautisticcyclistDec 21, 2022
@Sheril oh my god, I edit research on HeLa cells all of the time, have done for years, and never knew that. How sad
Show threadNoctisEqui 🇺🇦🇵🇸🇪🇹🏳️‍🌈Dec 21, 2022

@Sheril

I believe there was a book written titled ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’

Quite a tragic story.

Show threadKatie SchwartzDec 21, 2022
@[email protected] can’t wait to read it. K@ over the moon thst her stature will replace a hard core racist’s. @lawritersgroup
Show threadtiaralaDec 21, 2022
@Sheril Thank you for the additional context!! I knew the vague reasons she's now remembered but I didn't know about *why* her cells were special.
Show threadGigawatt121Dec 21, 2022
@Sheril when I worked in research we used a variety of immortalized cell lines. I had no idea where the tissue came from at first. When I learned of the origin it was incredibly disturbing and gross.
Show threadjmr24Dec 21, 2022
@Sheril I read that book several years ago. I think about Henrietta often, because she continue to have such profound impact to our lives. Very happy happy to hear about the statue and highly recommend the book.
Show threadnormshawDec 21, 2022
@Sheril The book was great!
Show threadMirageeDec 21, 2022
@Sheril Rebecca Skloot’s book is one of my favorites. It has pride of place on the TV stand/bookcase in my living room, along with a few other favorite books like West with the Night by Beryl Markham.
Show threadPlmktDec 21, 2022
@Sheril I read this a long time ago. Horrible painful things done to this poor black woman and what a gift to science she has been. Family compensation?
Show threadLG MediaDec 22, 2022
@Plmkt @Sheril I recall a news story recently that her name is getting permanent recognition, but I’m not sure about compensation.
Show threadRichard HendricksDec 21, 2022
@Sheril A statue 100' tall and made of solid gold would barely be a start of the repayment of what she and her family are owed.
Show threadKurt RisserDec 21, 2022
@hendric @Sheril You know BigPharma and the Hospital industry are too greedy to properly compensate her family.
Healthcare in America isn't about health or care. It's all about money.
Show threadServalanDec 21, 2022

@Sheril "The Way of All Flesh" - BBC doco from 1998 by Adam Curtis is the first time I bumped into the history of Henrietta Lacks. The doco is on Youtube & is well worth a watch. Her family & Walter Nelson-Rees are very compelling to watch. #history #science

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0lMrp_ySg8

The Way of All Flesh by Adam Curtis

YouTube
Show threadMaggieDec 21, 2022
@Sheril I trained in medical virology 35 years ago. We used HeLa cells as part of our training. It was never made clear where the original cell culture originated from. Thank you for the enlightenment.
Show threadBrookeDec 21, 2022
@Sheril impressive.
Show threadKarsDec 21, 2022
@Sheril that's brilliant news. Her cells live on today and have contributed to countless discoveries. I'm not sure they were collected without consent but they were certainly cultured without her knowledge. The first of their kind, no human cells survived the in-vitro treatment before Hela. Now a days we just sign away the right anyway to have a tumor removed.
Show threadjohnkellyDec 21, 2022
@Sheril a great book about a woman who left a huge legacy
Show threadIwona IwaszczyszynDec 21, 2022
@Sheril read this book. Remarkable
Show threadChris SchloemerDec 21, 2022
@Sheril that's awesome!
Show thread@[email protected]Dec 22, 2022

@Sheril

I LOVED Skloot’s book. So glad this is happening.

Show threadJourneyBleuDec 22, 2022

@Sheril

The book is one of the first I listened to on Audible about 8 years ago. It was a revelation. So glad that she will be so honored in place of Lee.

Show threadikeacurtainsDec 22, 2022
@Sheril great book!
Show threadBellis ColdwineDec 22, 2022
@Sheril I just taught a lesson about #henriettalacks , specifically about this portrait of her by #KadirNelson. There's much symbolism in this. They're also replacing at statue of Robert E. Lee with one of her in Virginia.
Show threadJanice PersonDec 22, 2022
@Sheril Love seeing this! That's the sort of change that is meaningful.
Show threadSharon Gibson MorganDec 22, 2022
@Sheril
#blackmastodon
#blackfediverse
Show threadGiladDec 22, 2022

@Sheril Of course, the no consent part is horrific & reminiscent of the Nazis science experiments on Jews. But I'm glad she's finally getting recognition.

Update: after reading some of the responses, I've reconsidered my comment comparing to Nazi experimentation. It's not a valid comparison.

Show threadFredDec 22, 2022
@Sheril Super! Replace Lee. My middle name is Lee. Replace Lee! :)
Show threadDescartesWalksIntoABarDec 22, 2022
@Sheril The first true immortal. Her cells still live on to this day and now she will be further be immortalized in bronze. Robert E. Lee can be melted down and used for something more appropriate like a pair of bronze truck nuts or something.
Show thread[email protected]Dec 22, 2022
@Sheril
When I was in medical school we were told He La stood for Helen Lane.
It was only later I discovered who she was
"The Immortal Life" is a definite must read
Show threadKarl Schwartz, Artist advocateDec 22, 2022

@Sheril Thank you. Important story.

Correct me please if I have it wrong, but was under the impression that the key feature of HeLa cells was persistence (immortality) -- the cells remained alive, which made them ideal for research.

Show threadJude Marr PhD (he, they)Dec 22, 2022
@Sheril An excellent book and this is excellent news!
Show threadPinky JonesDec 22, 2022
@Sheril
Thanks for posting.