[Udik]

As much as this story is fascinating, "her" impact is actually non-existent. The cells of the HeLa line come from a routine biopsy; she had no knowledge and no part whatsoever in anything that was possible thanks to the cells line that was taken from her.

[gowld]

Would you see the same about the non-existent impact of a meteor that happens to crash into the Earth?

[letitgo12345]

Why is this being downvoted? If people want female and/or black symbols, there are so many others who actually made a contribution (David Blackwell of the famous Rao-Blackwell equation, Shafi Goldwasser who won a Turing award, etc.).

Are we going to now start celebrating the people who got the first smallpox or polio vaccines as great contributors to science just because they were chosen to be the first for a procedure?

Attributing impact to figures who didn't personally do anything demeans the struggles and accomplishments of actual minority scientists.