Present to Past
Medical Racism
![A color photograph of a portion of a Stop Aids graffiti mural in New York City. The mural is painted on a light tan wall. The bottom half of the image features a depiction of a white brick wall with cracks running through many of the bricks, running the full length of the image. A light and dark blue cloud features prominently on the left side of the image with the words [STOP / AIDS] spray painted in yellow letters outlined in red. The middle of the image features an illustration two men standing in profile, facing each other, on either side of a tombstone. The front of the tombstone has the text [USE YOUR / HEAD BEFORE / YOU END UP / DEAD.] written in black text. The word [DEAD] is underlined and the letters have drip lines giving it a bloody text effect. The man on the left is featured wearing a yellow shirt, yellow pants, and black shoes with yellow laces. He has three black thought bubbles above, and to the right of his head. He is holding his proper left hand splayed out, reaching for a syringe with a bloody hypodermic needle in the proper right hand of the man depicted on the right of the tombstone. The man on the right is depicted with red spikey hair, a green shirt, green pants and black shoes with white laces. On the far right of the image is the text [THE LAW] written in red block letters, outlined in black, above a depiction of scrolled paper with the text [I. DON’T “SHOOT” / DRUGS. / II. USE CONDOM. / III. HAVE SEX WITH FAiTHFUL / PARTNER.] written in black text. There are no inscriptions on the recto. On the verso the image is signed in blue ink by the photographer.](/static/bc247fe92533cf2c8170cc1ed60d5da9/40176/2015_132_262_001.webp)
1952Henrietta Lacks’ Cells
Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine by Kadir Nelson, 2017
Medical Research Without Consent
Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed and treated for cervical cancer by gynecologist Dr. Howard Jones at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, in January 1951. He discovered a large malignant tumor on her cervix and took a sample of the cancer cells without her consent. Jones sent the cells to Dr. George Grey, who discovered that her cells remarkably doubled every 20 to 24 hours.
Unbeknownst to Henrietta Lacks at the time of her death in 1951, doctors used her cells for research that ultimately impacted the study of the human body. The HeLa cells, named for the first two letters of her first and last names, were used to develop the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization, and cloning; to study the human genome, immunology, and infectious disease. Mrs. Lacks' samples were even taken to space to determine the effect zero gravity on human cells. Even today, HeLa cells were used to develop the COVID-19 vaccine.
Henrietta Lacks's children were not made aware that their mother’s cells were taken until decades after her death. Her story is one of many examples of the medical malpractice African Americans experience while seeking healthcare. It has raised ethical debates over consent and the role race plays in the care and treatment African Americans receive.