University of Bristol will unveil a statue of Henrietta Lacks

The University has commissioned local artist Helen Wilson-Roe to create the statue of Henrietta Lacks, a Black American woman whose cells (known as HeLa cells) were, in 1951, the first ever human cell line to survive and multiply outside the body.

These cells have since been used to make possible some of the most important medical advances of all time including the development of the polio vaccine, chemotherapy, gene mapping, IVF and cloning.

The piece will be the first public statue of a Black woman made by a Black woman in the UK and will be installed permanently on the University campus.

The unveiling will be live streamed as part of the HELA100 virtual colloquium. HELA100 is the Lacks’ family-led celebration honouring Henrietta Lacks’ impact seventy years to the day since her untimely death with cervical cancer. We are honoured that members of the Lacks family will be joining us in-person to unveil this important statue.