Susan G. Komen Michigan, Greater Grand Rapids NAACP and Mercy Health invite you to the 2018 Powerfully Pink Luncheon and FREE movie screenings of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”

If links are not working, please Register and/or RSVP to info@komenmichigan.org

Sponsorship Opportunities

To view the sponsorship opportunities for this powerful community event, click here.
To personalize your life-saving partnership today, please contact Jen Henkel at jhenkel@komenmichigan.org.

More Information

The Henrietta Lacks Story

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with late-stage cervical cancer, leading to her death within the year. However, Henrietta lives on even to this day as her cells, called the HeLa cell line, became the first human cells to grow and infinitely replicate in laboratory conditions. Her cells have changed the world of medicine forever, helping unlock the first polio vaccine as well as providing the foundation for groundbreaking research related to cancer, AIDS, radiation and gene mapping, among others. However, these discoveries were made without the knowledge or consent of Henrietta and her family. This powerful story reveals the inequalities of our healthcare system that persist to this day, particularly for minorities and people of color.

Komen Michigan and Mercy Health are organizations committed to eliminating health disparities and lowering barriers to access quality care. The story of Henrietta Lacks teaches important lessons about self-advocacy and understanding what care options are available. Our goal through the Powerfully Pink Luncheon and movie screenings is to help start conversations, prompt individuals to ask questions about their own health and inspire students to pursue the fields of science and research.

Powerfully Pink Luncheon

The Powerfully Pink Luncheon is an annual awards event that celebrates and recognizes breast cancer advocates and survivors in our local communities. At the event you will learn about all of the services, programs, initiatives and advocacy Komen Michigan is currently working on across the state, as well as plans for the upcoming year. Local awards winners will also be recognized for their impact on others and in the fight against breast cancer in our goal to reduce breast cancer by 50% by 2026. We will also have multiple guest speakers, including two of Henrietta’s grandchildren with a Q&A session.

Jeri Lacks Whye is Henrietta Lacks’s granddaughter. She works at the Judiciary System of Baltimore in the Domestic Violence Unit. Jeri has visited dozens of campuses and communities around the country, sharing her perspective on the legacy of Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cells. She continues to keep her grandmother’s legacy alive while using her family’s story as a platform to address national issues including preventative healthcare, health disparities, literacy, and community trust. Jeri is one of three family members on the National Institutes of Health panel that oversees HeLa genome research applications. She was also among the family members who consulted on the HBO film adaptation of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, produced by Oprah Winfrey and Allan Ball.

David Lacks, Jr. is the grandson of Henrietta Lacks and the son of David “Sonny” Lacks. David has a degree in computer information systems and has traveled around the United States and Canada setting up computer systems and labs for companies and educational institutions. He also lends his talent to the Lacks family’s website. David is honored to serve on the National Institutes of Health panel, where he reviews proposals from researchers seeking to use the HeLa genome in their research.

Student Movie Screening

Susan G. Komen Michigan, Greater Grand Rapids NAACP and Mercy Health are excited to invite the students and faculty of local schools and colleges to a FREE movie screening of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Following the movie screening, students will have the opportunity to listen to the Lacks family speak about their experiences (live streaming from the Wave Room to the theater).

If interested, please RSVP as soon as possible with your planned student and faculty attendance. Respondents will receive promotional posters for the movie to be displayed in classrooms and hallways, as well as social media banners to include on website and social media platforms.

Public Movie Screenings

Following the Powerfully Pink luncheon, there will be two FREE evening showings of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” for the general public. Attendees must RSVP above in order to secure a seat.

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