You're invited to join the Mind Readers book club for a live discussion via Zoom about the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Participation is free and everyone is welcome to join the conversation.
About the book
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, 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.
Event moderator
Dr. Willie D. Larkin, director for strategic partnerships, Madison Metropolitan School District, past president of Grambling State University in Louisiana
Event panelists
- Dr. Jo Handelsman, director, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at UW–Madison
- Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, professor emerita, UW–Madison Department of Curriculum & Instruction, board president for the Urban League of Greater Madison
- Kaleem Caire, CEO, One City Schools, past president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison
- Mariama Bester, production associate II, Exact Sciences, UW–Madison graduate in neurobiology and sociology
- Robin Robinson, president, Wisconsin Black Student Union at UW–Madison
Visit the Mind Readers webpage for more information and to learn how you can receive a discounted copy of the featured book from A Room of One’s Own bookstore.
