School has been in session since fall, but Tuesday’s dedication of Henrietta Lacks Elementary School in Aldie, Virginia, was a mix of pomp and recognition of a Black woman who unwittingly helped generations that benefited from the cancer cells that killed her in 1951.
Henrietta Lacks Elementary is Loudoun County Public Schools’ first primary school.
“What’s different about our school is we only have students preschool through second grade,” principal Leigh Boyd said. “We have about 800 of them, so it’s still a very large school, it’s just with our youngest learners.”
Located next door to Hovatter Elementary, on the Lightridge High School campus, Henrietta Lacks opened in August.
Three family members of Henrietta Lacks sat in the front row, next to Superintendent Aaron Spence, during the dedication ceremony in the school gymnasium.
Lacks died of cervical cancer at the age of 31. Cell tissue removed from her body at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, without her permission or her family’s knowledge became known as the HeLa immortal cell line, one of the most important tools in medical research.
“Her cells were taken while she was lying on her dying bed,” granddaughter Jeri Lacks-Whye said. “Those cells became popular 鈥� they became a medical miracle.”
“HeLa cells have contributed to major advances in science, including cancer treatments and vaccines, and sparked important ethical discussions about consent in medical research,” read a brief description on the program distributed to the several hundred parents and guests, including elected officials and school board members.
During the ceremony, Lacks’ family members smiled in appreciation and dabbed their eyes with tissues as second graders described the long-lasting benefits of her contribution.
“Oh, the kids,” said David Lacks, grandson of Henrietta Lacks. “To see them brought tears to my eyes.”
Jeri Lacks-Whye said, “When I was growing up I really didn’t know my grandmother, and I didn’t know her story. But now, to see the younger generation know her story, is just, you know, amazing.”
David Lacks said he was moved by the enthusiasm of the students to learn about his grandmother’s story.
“Now, if one of these kids grows up and makes a major scientific breakthrough, and cures cancer, they can say they got their start at Henrietta Lacks Elementary,” David Lacks said. “I think that would be the icing on the cake.”
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