RePost: BHM Movie #3--The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 14:39:18 -0500

Per the original post from the Africana Council myUMBC group:

This Friday, Feb 25th, Africana Council is collaborating with HBO Max for the third movie night of our Black History Month movie marathon. We will be providing snacks and there is a chance to win some amazing prizes in a raffle! Join us in Lecture Hall 1 at 6:30pm for this week's movie---The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, based on the book by Rebecca Skloot.

"Henrietta Lacks was a poor Black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance." (Skloot)

Following the movie will be a brief discussion about the various themes of the movie, including the history of the exploitation of African Americans in the American medical system as well as the systematic discrimination that has impacted the Black community to this day.

Don't forget to bring a friend or two and we will see you Friday!