One of the greatest and evolutionary scientific discoveries was in 1951, where the first immortal human cells were discovered at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Within that same year, 31 year old African American woman, Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed and died from cervical cancer. These cells are known as HeLa – the same cells that were wrongfully taken from the cervical tumor of an unaware Henrietta Lacks.

Today, the cells of Henrietta have impacted the world by advancing biomedical research, providing vaccinations for diseases like HPV and polio, chemotherapy, and many other remarkable influences. Astronauts are now able to go to outer space because HeLa cells provided scientists with information on how human cells would react to radiation.

One thing to remember during this month of black history is that HeLa cells came from a black woman – Henrietta Lacks. Those same cells revolutionized the world of science and influenced the restoration of human health for all origins.