The Mothers of Gynecology Monument by
Michelle Browder
'MichelleBrowder (born 1971) is an American artist and activist known for her sculptures in Montgomery, Alabama, and historical tours of the area.
Early life and education
Browder was born in Denver, Colorado and her family moved to Verbena, A ...
was unveiled in
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
, on September 24, 2021. It is located at 17 Mildred Street, near the
National Memorial for Peace and Justice
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, informally known as the National Lynching Memorial, is a national memorial to commemorate the black victims of lynching in the United States. It is intended to focus on and acknowledge past racial ter ...
, and is high.
[ The statues depict ]Anarcha Westcott
Anarcha Westcott (c. 1828 – unknown) was an enslaved woman who underwent a series of painful experimental surgical procedures conducted by physician J. Marion Sims, without the use of anesthesia, to treat a combination of vesicovaginal fistu ...
, Betsey, and Lucy, three enslaved women who were patients of controversial doctor and "father of gynecology" J. Marion Sims
James Marion Sims (January 25, 1813November 13, 1883) was an American physician in the field of surgery. His most famous work was the development of a surgical technique for the repair of vesicovaginal fistula, a severe complication of obstruc ...
, whose office was nearby. The statues were made from discarded metal objects—the artist asked for contributions from the public—"to symbolize how Black women have been treated and to demonstrate the beauty in the broken and discarded."
See also
* 2021 in art
* Mothers of Gynecology Movement
* https://www.pbs.org/newshour/tag/mothers-of-gynecology
References
{{reflist
External links
Picture of the Monument
AnarchaLucyBetsey.org, artist's web site
Outdoor painting of Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey in downtown Montgomery. Artist?
2021 establishments in Alabama
2021 sculptures
African-American history in Montgomery, Alabama
Buildings and structures in Montgomery, Alabama
Gynaecology
Monuments and memorials in Alabama
Outdoor sculptures in Alabama
Sculptures of women in the United States
Statues in Alabama
Sculptures of African Americans
Monuments and memorials to victims of slavery in the United States
Women in Alabama
Monuments and memorials to women
J. Marion Sims