KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The descendants of Henrietta Lacks reached a settlement with biotechnology company Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., a family lawyer said Tuesday.
The settlement comes more than 70 years after doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took Lacks’ cervical cells without her knowledge— the tissue taken from her tumor before she died of cervical cancer became the first human cells to be cloned successfully.
FOX 17 talked with Lacks’ grandnephew, Jermaine Jackson, who is the vice chairman of Kalamazoo Public Schools.
“I am just really overjoyed, elated. It’s been a long journey, a long time coming, and I’ve been just waiting for this moment to happen for them,” Jackson said. “I’m sad for them that they had to go through so much for so long before they were able to see the light of day on this settlement…I’m glad that they were able to settle out of court and that both parties are satisfied.”
Known as “HeLa cells,” Lacks’ cells have been reproduced infinitely since being harvested in 1951.
They have become a major part of modern medicine and have been used for countless scientific innovations, including the development of the polio and COVID-19 vaccines.
Lacks’ descendants accused Thermo Fisher Scientific of gaining billions of dollars from “a racist medical system.”
READ MORE: Thermo Fisher Scientific settles with family of Henrietta Lacks
Jackson says even Lacks’ immediate family didn’t know about the harvesting of her cells until around 20 years later, much after her death.
“It’s always been my purpose to just continue to empower people with knowledge about how my grandaunt Henrietta Lacks was and what she means to the world at large and, you know, a part of history that’s been hidden for many years…A lot of people had no idea who she was, her contribution to the medical science world,” he said.
And his work toward educating people about his grandaunt continues.
“We were at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum for several months, and I continue to travel to different, various places— schools and different agencies that invite me— but yes, we are excited to announce that we will have our exhibit public this year on October 4, which is deemed Henrietta Lacks Day in the city of Kalamazoo,” Jackson said.
Click here for more information on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Traveling Museum.
