** An Evening with the Lacks Family: A SPECIAL EVENT in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day**
Monday, January 19, 6:30 pm
Richardson-Mees Performing Arts Center at LAWRENCE ACADEMY
SPEAKERS: Victoria Baptiste, Henrietta Lacks’ Great-Granddaughter and Shirley Lacks, her Daughter-in-Law.
Meet the family behind the most famous cells in human history! The “immortal” HeLa cells, taken from Henrietta Lacks without her knowledge in 1951, have changed modern medicine for 75 years–fueling nearly every major medical breakthrough from the polio vaccine to cancer to AIDS research to gene mapping to the COVID vaccine! The world finally learned the true story of Henrietta herself with Rebecca Skloot’s runaway 2010 bestseller, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Made possible through the generous support of the Town of Groton’s Lecture Fund, Groton Public Library Endowment Trust, and Lawrence Academy, in cooperation with the Lyceum Agency.
Presented in partnership with Lawrence Academy, Groton’s DEI Committee, and the Groton Public Library.
SNIPPET:
Henrietta Lacks: The Woman Who Changed Medicine Forever
In 1951, a woman named Henrietta Lacks walked into a hospital seeking help for cancer. She didn’t know that a small sample of her cells would go on to change the course of human history. While Henrietta tragically passed away shortly after her hospital visit, her cells did something no other human cells had ever done: they refused to die.
Why “HeLa” is a Scientific Miracle
Before Henrietta, scientists struggled to keep human cells alive in a lab for more than a few days. Henrietta’s cells—labeled HeLa—divided and doubled every 24 hours, becoming the world’s first “immortal” cell line, surviving and multiplying when all others failed.
A Century of Miracles
The impact of Henrietta’s cells is staggering. They haven’t just helped us understand biology; they have been the literal “workhorses” behind the most significant medical wins of the last 70 years:
- 1950s: Ending Polio. HeLa cells were the essential testing ground for Jonas Salk’s vaccine, helping to eradicate a disease that paralyzed thousands of children.
- Medical Breakthroughs: They played a role in developing treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, and Parkinson’s disease.
- Scientific Breakthroughs: From space travel research to cloning to gene mapping, HeLa cells continue to be at the forefront of every major scientific frontier.
- 2020s: Fighting COVID-19. Decades later, HeLa cells were used in the rapid development and testing of COVID-19 vaccines, proving that Henrietta’s contribution to humanity is not a thing of the past—it is protecting us right now.
Meet the Women Behind the History
While the world knows the name “HeLa,” few know the woman, the mother, and the family who lived in the shadow of this scientific revolution. This program offers a rare, personal look at the Lacks legacy through the eyes of her family:
- Victoria Baptiste: Henrietta’s great-granddaughter, a nurse and advocate who carries her ancestor’s torch into the future of healthcare and ethics.
- Shirley Lacks: Henrietta’s daughter-in-law, who was a close confidante to Henrietta’s daughter, Deborah. She provides a bridge to the personal struggles and triumphs of the Lacks family as they sought justice.
Why This Event is Unmissable
This is more than a science lecture. It is a story of medical ethics, racial justice, and the power of a family’s voice. Come hear how a woman whose cells were taken without her consent became the “Mother of Modern Medicine,” and how her descendants are ensuring her name is never forgotten again.
