Why do we have monuments?

Whether you admire Robert E. Lee or despise him, there is very little risk he will be forgotten from our history or culture.

On the other hand, if you have heard of Henrietta Lacks, you are a rarified crowd; doubly so if you had heard of her before Rebecca Skloot published “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.”

Henrietta Lacks was not a doctor, nor a scientist, or in fact, aware of her contribution; still,  modern medical science owes a great deal to her. More than we do to many of the doctors and scientists whose names are well remembered.

If you don’t know the story and aren’t ready to read the book, Kendall Ross’s ABC News story about the monument is a good place to start.

I am not much of a traveler, but perhaps there might be a pilgrimage to Henrietta Lacks Plaza in Roanoke, Virginia, in my future to see her statue once it is erected.