The family of Henrietta Lacks has reached an undisclosed settlement with pharmaceutical company Novartis, marking another legal victory in their effort to hold companies accountable for profiting from her cells without consent. Lacks’ “immortal” HeLa cells, taken during cancer treatment in 1951, became foundational to major scientific breakthroughs while her family remained unaware for decades and received no compensation.
Author Archives: Joseph Williams
Posted inWord In Black
Changing the story data tells about Black health
Word In Black has launched an Insights and Research Division to center the lived experiences of Black Americans and use community-driven data to reshape narratives about persistent health disparities. Its first study on organ donation reveals strong theoretical support but deep mistrust of the healthcare system, and the team is now turning to breast cancer to examine how bias, access and culture affect Black women’s outcomes.
Posted inAfro Briefs
A sentence—finally—but still no justice for Breonna Taylor
Attorney Ben Crump (left), stands beside Tamika Palmer, mother of Breonna Taylor, and Kenneth Walker, Taylor’s boyfriend, outside the federal courthouse calling the sentencing offers “a start,” though it remains uncertain whether true justice was served for Breonna.
Posted inPolitics
Experts warn court case could end life-saving preventive care
A Supreme Court case set for arguments next week could gut a key part of the Affordable Care Act that provides free preventive health services—putting millions at risk and threatening progress in reducing racial health disparities, especially for Black women. Public health experts warn the case, driven by ideological objections, could lead to higher disease rates, later diagnoses, and increased death rates in communities of color.