(Credit: AFRO Photo / Alexis Taylor)
By Alexis Taylor
AFRO Managing Editor
Henrietta Lacks, the woman whose immortal cells have circled the globe, contributing to medical breakthroughs, research and vaccines, was honored at Morgan State University (MSU) with a wax figure on March 15.
Lacks, born in August 1920, is the Black woman responsible for giving the world the first cells capable of multiplying – not dying- when taken outside of the body. This may seem like a small feat, but up until the case of Henrietta Lacks, researchers and scientists were limited in their research.
Once removed, most human cells die within a specific period of time, depending on cell type and conditions. The cells from Henrietta Lacks, called “HeLa cells,” made research easier because they do not die once placed in a petri dish or other scientific instrument for study.
Though she is known in history for her life-saving contribution, Henrietta Lacks ultimately succumbed to the same cervical cancer that altered her cells. To add insult to injury, the doctors from Johns Hopkins who removed her cells and began doing research without consent never told the family about their miraculous discovery.
Since her death in October 1951, research institutions and pharmaceutical companies alike have made a fortune, all while descendants of Henrietta Lacks struggled. Now, her family is on a mission to get the recognition– and money– owed.
“It’s great seeing all the family members come together to welcome this wax statue of our grandmother,” said Ron Lacks, grandson of Henrietta Lacks. “It’s a blessing.”
“My father started this when he brought the case to get some recognition,” said Ron Lacks, speaking on the work Lawrence Lacks Sr. did before his August 2023 death.
“Some family members couldn’t even afford medical care. That’s why he led the crusade for reparations– to get some kind of donation to help the Lacks family, since the pharmaceutical companies made billions.”
“The fight still continues,” said Ron Lacks, who is hellbent on correcting the narrative that his mother and family members were “uneducated Black people,” from a poor, farming community.
“I had to change that narrative about my family,” he said. “[Ben] Crump brought this case from the grave. No one wanted to take the case because they kept saying statute of limitations. He was the only one that brought this case forward– and we did get a judgement. I got to walk my dad through the courtroom doors.”
Ron Lacks, was in attendance for the unveiling of the wax figure, along with other family members, such as David Lacks Jr. The event drew members of the community and elected officials alike.
Julian Jones, a member of the Baltimore County Council, was in attendance for the unveiling. Speaking to the audience, he said it was fitting that the event take place at MSU, which has long served as “a pillar of Black excellence and education.”
Jones said the next generation of scientists, doctors and medical researchers who come to MSU are learning at an institution that “ensures that every student that walks these halls knows her name— not just as a scientific footnote.”
“Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman from Turner Station, could never have imagined that her cells taken without her knowledge in 1951 would revolutionize modern medicine,” said Jones. “This statue stands as more than a tribute. It is a declaration that Black lives, Black bodies and Black contributions to society and science matter.”
Jones said the statue stands as “a call to continue the work of medical ethics, health equity and justice for all.”
The figure will be housed in Baltimore at the The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum, located in the 1600 block of North Avenue.
Dr. Joanne Martin, co-founder of the National Great Black Wax Museum said the quality of the wax figure is of the utmost importance.
“One of the things that my husband Elmer and I were aware of and said often is that ‘we are being entrusted with a person’s legacy,” said “We want to be respectful of that legacy– it should shine through the wax figure itself and be well made.”
“We have a team of sculptors because it’s a very specialized process,” said Dr. Martin. “You have hair weavers– every part of it has to be right. We come in a variety of colors, so we have to make sure we are getting the skin tone and physical characteristics right.”
“All of those things come together,” she said. “To hear a family member talk about how moved he was in looking at his grandmother…that means a lot.”
Gloria Nelson, president of the Turner Station Conservation Team, spoke to the legacy left behind by Lacks and other residents of Turner Station, where the Lacks family lived. According to information released by the Baltimore County Government, between 1940 and 1945, the area had a population of roughly 9,000 people.
“This statue is a great honor for a little woman from Turner station,” said Nelson. “Our community was one of the largest historic African-American communities in Baltimore County. It was a self sufficient Black community with many successful people who called it ‘home.’”
The program was hosted by the Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group and the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program out of MSU’s Department of English and Language Arts.
Kristy Wilson, a 2001 graduate business administration, originally from Upper Marlboro, Md., said she heard the unveiling was going to happen by listening to WEAA, the community radio station owned and operated by Morgan State University.
“It was amazing- just learning what her cells could do,” said Wilson. “I learned a lot.”
Wilson said seeing the unveiling of Henrietta Lack’s statue touched her on a personal level.
“I’m still processing it for myself,” she said. “But I am just full of pride….pride and power. This fed my passion to help out some kind of way. It reignited a fire in me and I’m bubbling out to share it with others.”
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