Question

Why did the tuskegee institute become involved in the mass production of hela cells? describe the depth of the institute's involvement. explain the inherent irony in the fact that the tuskegee hela production lab was operating at the same time that the infamous syphilis study was being conducted. what does the juxtaposition of these two projects reveal about race relations in the early 1950s?

Answer 1

The Tuskegee Institute became involved because Charles Bynum, a science teacher and leading civil rights activist of the time, lobbied that the mass production of hela cells occur at Tuskegee in hopes of bringing money, jobs and training opportunities for black scientists at Tuskegee. Tuskegee’s involvement was intensive - Tuskegee scientists built an unmatched facility and conducted research with the trust of the local population. This is where the irony is strongest - regardless of their skill, these scientists would not have been able to do the research they did without volunteer participation from the community around them. This same trust is what led so many men in the community to participate in the now infamous syphilis study. This contains implications about race relations in 1950s America in that institutions generally - and the Tuskegee institute specifically - relied on a massively unfair power structure which assumed participation from black individuals without having to first earned or established trust. In fact, taking advantage of the deep inequality of power led to institutional growth or improvement at the price of individuals black lives. Even when no institutional or scientific contribution resulted - still black lives were undervalued and/or lost.