H E N R I E T T A L A C K S
Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman whose cells were taken from her in 1951 as she was being treated for cervical cancer at John Hopkins. She died shortly after but her cells are still alive today. They can be found in laboratories across the globe.
Her cells have been coined "HeLa" cells and are the first immortalized human cell line and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. An immortalized cell line reproduces indefinitely under specific conditions, and the HeLa cell line continues to be a source of invaluable medical data to the present day. HeLa cells were used to create the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization, space cell research, and so many more medical achievements.
HENRIETTA LACKS
ALFRED LACKS CARTER, JR.
Immortal Fragrance is the brainchild of Alfred Lacks Carter, Jr. Alfred is the grandson of Henrietta Lacks and the son of Henrietta's second daughter Deborah Lacks. Alfred is the Founder and President of the Henrietta Lacks House of Healing and 501c3 non-profit dedicated to providing transitional housing for men in order to combat homelessness and recidivism as well as re-entry into the community after recent release.
Alfred is highly active in his community, helping men transition back to their lives and families post-incarceration. Alfred also has presented in communities, organizations and schools across the country, educating the world on The Lacks Family story, his mother's journey and his grandmother's legacy. His efforts have included a number of social justice and health equity initiatives.
Alfred also acted in and served as an advisor on the 2017 Emmy nominated, the immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the HBO movie adaptation of his mother's journey to learn about her mother, Henrietta Lacks, who was played by Oprah Winfery, who also was an executive producer.
Today, Alfred is launching a fragrance called "Immortal" to honor the essence of his vibrant grandmother – Henrietta Lacks.
Candice Milan
Candice Milan is a Business Scaling Technician. In other words, she takes ideas from being just a thought to being a tangible and marketable product or service that generates revenue for her clients. Collectively, her projects have generated millions of dollars.
Her firm is a one-stop shop for idea development, graphic design, web development, tech automations, and both digital and experiential marketing. After meeting Alfred at the American Association For Cancer Research Convention in early 2017, Candice was intrigued by the story of Henrietta Lacks. She immediately wanted to help spread the word about Henrietta's legacy. Due to having multiple projects on her plate she was not able to immediately consult with Lacks. Finally in 2019, Candice and Alfred started developing "Immortal".
Candice is also a community organizer that is deeply passionate about providing growth opportunities for young people in disadvantaged communities. She runs a youth entrepreneurship program and the students that participated in the 2019 cohort had the opportunity to assist with developing the beautiful Immortal Fragrance.