NHSA AIM CCI Joins in Days of Recognition for Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey
National Healthy Start Association
NHSA works to expand the capacity of community-based MCH programs to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality
Today, we pay tribute to the significant impact of The Mothers of Gynecology, Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey, on women’s reproductive health and wellbeing.?
Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey were Black women who endured enslavement on plantations in and around Montgomery, Alabama. Already suffering the horrors of enslavement, they became victims of Dr. J. Marion Sims' unethical obstetrical and gynecological medical experiments in the 1840s. ?
Without their consent, nor any form of anesthesia to relieve their excruciating pain, these women were subjected to countless procedures, often in front of curious doctors. ?While Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey were subjected to the most experiments, it is important to acknowledge that at least ten enslaved Black women suffered under Sims' trials and errors (The More Up Campus).?
Anarcha faced up to 30 procedures over the course of three-and-a-half years, all while enduring unimaginable pain (The More Up Campus).? These women’s stories have been historically overshadowed by Sims' self-proclaimed "success," motivating him to go to New York to seek fame and fortune, eventually to be touted as the Father of Gynecology.??
Meanwhile, Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey, and all the women experimented on, faded into the depths of history, their painful sacrifices forgotten. Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey unwittingly became trailblazers, who gave of themselves in ways that made significant impacts on medicine. ?We join in shedding light and remembering their stories, overshadowed, and disregarded for so long.?
In 2021, Dr. Veronica Maria Pimentel, a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) , proposed that ACOG honor the memory of Anarcha, Lucy and Betsey, and countless other enslaved women who suffered exploitation in the name of medicine. ?The proposal was approved, and in collaboration with prominent health organizations, ACOG incorporated this objective into the core principles of the Collective Action Addressing Racism, signifying commitment to rectifying historical injustices and creating a more inclusive and equitable medical field. ?From this approved proposal, February 28 and March 1 are now designated as Days of Recognition for The Mothers.? These days bridge the recognition of Black History Month and Women's History Month in March.
One way that these women’s legacy is remembered year-round is through The Mothers of Gynecology Monument Park, established in the fall of 2021 in Montgomery, Alabama. ?This monument, created by artist Michelle Browder , serves as a powerful reminder of the truth behind their experiences and offers a space for grief, remembrance, honor, hope, and healing. ?An annual Day of Reckoning is held each year on February 28 on the More Up Campus in Montgomery.?
The park commemorates not only Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey, but the unnamed enslaved Black women who endured similar treatment with these experiments.? The establishment of the monument inspires hope that these brave women will finally receive the recognition they deserve, and that their sacrifices will be acknowledged for their invaluable contributions to the field of medicine.?? The monument stands as a symbol of progress, reminding us of the importance of remembering their stories that have been silenced for far too long.?
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The work of the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Community Care Initiative (AIM CCI) a cooperative agreement between Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSAgov), HHS and the National Healthy Start Association, contributes to nationwide efforts to undo generations of harm and systemic racism to Black women, that lead to ongoing disparities in maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity for Black women.?
Sources:?
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)??
The More Up Campus??