Speaking with the Secretary

with Lonnie Bunch

Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch says a portrait can restore humanity, as in the case of Henrietta Lacks. She's the woman whose 'immortal' cells were taken without her knowledge or consent, and then used to pioneer important medical advances. Bunch also describes images of one of his favorite presidents, Lyndon B. Johnson. As a lawmaker, Johnson had a 20-year record of voting against civil rights. Then he became a force for racial justice.

Gray haired man with a beard seated in front of a bookcase

Image credit: Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA News Wire

Read more about the portraits:
  • Henrietta Lacks (HeLa): The Mother of Modern Medicine by Kadir Nelson / 2017, Oil on linen / Collection of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of African American History & Culture; gift from Kadir Nelson and the JKBN Group, LLC
  • Lyndon B. Johnson by Peter Hurd / 1967, Tempera on wood / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the artist
  • President Signs Civil Rights Bill by George Tames / 1964, Gelatin silver print / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Frances O. Tames
  • Vietnam: Lyndon Baines Johnson and Richard Milhouse Nixon / Attribution: David Nordahl, Printer: Gross National Product / 1968, Lithographic poster / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution