A Historic Day: Henrietta Lacks's Long Unmarked Grave Finally Gets a Headstone : Culture Dish

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Rebecca Skloot is an award-winning science writer, and author of the New York Times Bestselling book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It tells the story of HeLa -- the first immortal human cell line ever grown in culture (pictured in the blog's banner) -- the woman those cells came from, and the family she left behind. The book has been featured on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, CBS Sunday Morning, The Colbert Report, and many others. To see those segments and find information, reviews, book special features, and more, visit her website. Skloot is also a contributing editor at Popular Science magazine; she's worked as a correspondent for WNYC's RadioLab, and PBS's Nova ScienceNOW. Her writing appears in The New York Times Magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, Discover and others.

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A Historic Day: Henrietta Lacks's Long Unmarked Grave Finally Gets a Headstone

Category: Bioethics • HeLa • Publication News and Followups • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks • Women and Science
Posted on: May 29, 2010 4:39 PM, by Rebecca Skloot

Today is a very exciting day: Henrietta Lacks (aka HeLa) has been lying in an unmarked grave since her death in 1951. Today, thanks to Dr. Roland Pattillo at Morehouse School of Medicine, who donated a headstone after reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, her grave is finally marked. Below, a snapshot of some members of the Lacks family beside the new marker for Henrietta, and the marker for her daughter, Elsie, which was also unveiled today. Dr. Roland Pattillo is pictured at the far left:

Her stone, in case you can't tell from the picture, is shaped like a book. The text was written by members of the Lacks family. It reads:

Henrietta Lacks, August 01, 1920-October 04, 1951.

In loving memory of a phenomenal woman, wife and mother who touched the lives of many.

Here lies Henrietta Lacks (HeLa). Her immortal cells will continue to help mankind forever.

Eternal Love and Admiration, From Your Family

Many thanks to Melissa Bell for the photo.

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Comments

That's really great, Rebecca.

Posted by: Lila | May 29, 2010 5:22 PM

Nice work and thanks to everyone involved in correcting this deficit for Henrietta, Elsie, Deborah, and the rest of the Lacks family.

Posted by: Heather Clemenceau | May 29, 2010 8:38 PM

Beautiful tombstones and a lovely picture. I've just started reading the book and am already enthralled.

Posted by: Dionne Ford | May 29, 2010 10:32 PM

Sklooty, that is so awesome! And you should be really proud for writing such a fucking great book!

Posted by: Comrade PhysioProf | May 29, 2010 10:42 PM

I feel like I bonded with the family after reading the book. I am thrilled that Henrietta Lacks has a memorial to her life.

Posted by: Warren Daniel | May 29, 2010 11:56 PM

Got a bit choked up on seeing Henrietta's headstone and the family. Nice to see that recognition is finally coming to that poor woman and her long suffering family.
Congratulations to you, Rebecca, for seeing this through. Restores my faith in humanity :)

Posted by: Chris Smyth, Dublin, Ireland | May 30, 2010 6:15 AM

Ms. Skloot, if you're not already, you should be proud for the part you've done in giving Lacks and her surviving family the recognition they deserve.

Posted by: Tybo | May 30, 2010 2:55 PM

Good.

Posted by: Christopher Gwyn | May 30, 2010 8:52 PM

I'm weeping as I write this comment. Truly a historic occasion! The sentiment on Henrietta's marker is so fitting and beautiful. Thank you, Rebecca, for helping the Lacks family honour the memories of Henrietta and Elsie at long last -- and for helping the rest of us appreciate the woman behind HeLa. Now, if only Johns Hopkins would give the surviving family members free or low-cost health care...

Posted by: Carmen | May 30, 2010 8:58 PM

Sklooty, that is so awesome! And you should be really proud for writing such a fucking great book!

Posted by: red pepper | May 31, 2010 4:19 PM

Rebecca...you've written a great book! I've just finished and I'm so pleased to see the above pictures. It's criminal that it wasn't done sooner.
Congratulations on a job well done.

Posted by: taryn | June 1, 2010 6:23 AM

An amazing story so well told - thank you for the telling. Its just right and fitting that this story be told to the world as haven't we all had the benefit from Henrietta cells. So pleased that this lady and her family now have the recognition that is deserved

Posted by: maureen | June 1, 2010 7:17 PM

I am thrilled that Henrietta Lacks has a memorial to her life.

Posted by: red pepper | June 11, 2010 5:29 PM

Learned about this incredible book thru my Book Club "Brothers and Sisters BC". Her living was not in vain. What a wonderful tribute for her families for generations to come.

Posted by: Marsetta Lee | June 25, 2010 5:23 AM

very nices article.An amazing story so well told - thank you for the telling. Its just right and fitting that this story be told to the world as haven't we all had the benefit from Henrietta cells. So pleased that this lady and her family now have the recognition that is deserved

Posted by: saç ekimi merkezi | June 26, 2010 7:41 AM