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.

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@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.
Dec 21, 2022 at 10:02pmWeb