County Exec11tiw Chief Legislative Officer JOHN A. OLSZEWSKI, JR. CHARLES R. CONNER III, ESQ.

Deputy legislative Officer KIMBERLY S. ROUTSON

8/20/20

Dear Mr. Jeffrey Small,

Baltimore County is in receipt of Secretary Bernhardt's letter regarding the Trump Administration's intention to establish a National Garden of American Heroes, and has prepared the following responses to the Secretary's inquires. 1. At this time, Baltimore County has not identified any locations within its borders that would serve as suitable locations for the National Garden of American Heroes.

2. At this time, Baltimore County has not identified any statues or monuments within its possession that would be appropriate to loan or donate for the purposes of establishing the National Garden of American Heroes.

3. In addition to the individuals listed in the Trump Administration's Executive Order on Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American History, Baltimore County proposes the inclusion of Henrietta Lacks. In 1951, Mrs. Lacks began undergoing radium treatments for her cervical cancer. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Hospital collected a sample of her cancer cells retrieved during a biopsy, and would later discover was that Mrs. Lacks' cells were unlike any of the others that researchers had previously encountered.

Today, these incredible cells- nicknamed "HeLa" cells - are used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans. They have been used to test the effects of radiation and poisons, to study the human genome, to learn more about how viruses work, and played a crucial role in the development of the polio vaccine.

From 1941 until her untimely death, Mrs. Lacks resided in Baltimore County's Turner station, a historic and beloved African American enclave that, at the time of Mrs. Lacks' residence, was one of the oldest and largest African American communities in the Baltimore region. Mrs. Lacks has had an immense impact on the medical field that continues to this day, and is therefore deserving of consideration for inclusion in the National Garden of American Heroes.

Baltimore County also proposes the inclusion of Benjamin Banneker. Mr. Banneker, a Baltimore County native, was born to a free African-American woman and a former slave in 1731. With little access to formal education, Banneker was self-taught on a number of subjects, including astronomy, mathematics, natural history and land surveying. His early accomplishments included constructing an irrigation system for his father's farm and the creation of wooden clock kept accurate time for several decades following Banneker's passing. Banneker would later inherit his father's tobacco farm, building a reputation as a successful landowner and businessman.

In 1791, Banneker was called upon to assist in the surveying of territory for the construction of the District of Columbia's original borders. He later authored a series of commercially successful almanacs, utilizing his knowledge of astronomy and mathematics. Banneker also corresponded with President Thomas Jefferson on the subjects of slavery and racial equality. These letters laid the intellectual groundwork for abolitionists as they sought to end slavery in America over the next several decades. Mr. Banneker's long list of accomplishments and academic contributions also merit him consideration for inclusion in the National Garden of American Heroes.

I hope that these responses have been helpful. Baltimore County is appreciative of Secretary Bernhardt's outreach to local jurisdictions on this matter.

Sincerely,

Charles R. Conner Ill, Esq. Chief Legislative Officer Office of the Baltimore County Executive