Sheril KirshenbaumDec 21, 2022

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.

Show threadMaggie
@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.
Dec 21, 2022 at 9:05pmWeb