A statue of Henrietta Lacks, who literally changed the world of medicine, was unveiled in South Boston on Friday after more than two years of fundraising efforts.
The effort began in August 2022, at a celebration of Lacks’ 100th birthday in Halifax County, where she grew up. Since then, community members, local businesses and organizations have raised over $50,000 for a statue of Lacks, who is affectionately called “the Mother of Modern Medicine.”
A ceremony preceded the unveiling of the statue at Constitution Square in South Boston. The lawn in front of the stage was packed full of attendees.
Lacks was “a woman whose immortal contribution to science touched countless lives around the globe,” said Hope Harris-Gayles, co-chair of the Henrietta Lacks Hometown Initiative.
The initiative is a collaboration between the Lacks family and the Halifax County-South Boston NAACP Chapter to honor Lacks in her hometown. It was launched at the 2022 event.
The story of Lacks’ legacy begins in 1951, when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. During a biopsy, samples of her cancerous cells were collected without her knowledge.
Doctors quickly realized that Lacks’ cells were unlike those of most other humans: instead of dying, they reproduced indefinitely. Since then, this line of cells, now called “HeLa” cells after the first two letters of Lacks’ first and last names, have been crucial to medical research.
HeLa cells were used to develop the polio vaccine, and have been involved in research on AIDS, cancer, COVID-19, HPV, and many other conditions, long after Lacks’ death eight months after her diagnosis.
It would not have been standard practice to get a patient’s consent before collecting a cell sample in 1951, a time when many hospitals would not even treat Black patients. So, despite her monumental contribution to medicine, neither Lacks nor her family were compensated.
Several members of the Lacks family spoke at the ceremony.
Alfred Carter Lacks, Jr., grandson of Henrietta Lacks, said that the impact of his grandmother “transcends time … in the face of injustice.”
“On a joyous occasion like today, we cannot forget the injustice that was done back then because she wasn’t afforded healthcare as an African American woman,” he said.
Larry Lacks and Regene Pleasants Coleman, both cousins of Henrietta Lacks, also spoke about the contribution of HeLa cells to modern medicine.
“I look at her as this incredible woman, who unknowingly gave so much,” Coleman said. “I look at her as this phoenix rising from the petri dish. I have all of these images in my mind of her greatness because of what she has done, not only locally, but to the world. We have all benefited from her in some capacity.”
The statue’s sculptor, Matt Glenn, could not attend the event, but shared remarks about the artistic process of designing and creating the statue. Betty Adams, executive director of the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center and a member of the Henrietta Lacks Hometown Initiative, read his remarks to the crowd.
“While we were designing the statue, we wanted every detail to reflect the core pillars of Henrietta’s life and legacy,” Adams read. “Her strength and grace are captured in her bold posture and confident expression, symbolizing resilience in the face of diversity.”
Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital in South Boston was the largest donor for the statue, said Betty Majors, treasurer for the Henrietta Lacks Hometown Initiative. The statue cost around $51,000, she said, not including the podium and maintenance.
State legislators Rep. Bob Good, R-Farmville, and Sen. Tammy Mulchi, R-Mecklenburg County, both attended the event and gave brief remarks.
Gloria Witt, the Democratic candidate for the 5th District of the House of Representatives, also attended, as did Sherman Lea, Roanoke mayor, who spoke about the similar effort to honor Lacks in that city.
Roanoke unveiled a statue of Lacks at the newly renamed Henrietta Lacks Plaza on Oct. 4, 2023, the 72nd anniversary of her death and a year before the South Boston ceremony.
Mattie Cowan, an attendee who wore a “Thank You Henrietta” T-shirt, said the statue unveiling felt “like a dream come true.”
“The family has fought many years to try to get her recognized,” Cowan said. “This is just wonderful.”