Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy Existed. Their Stories Mattered. Their Lives Mattered.
Photo by Cultivating Perception
The statues of the three women called out to me, as we walked towards the Mothers of Gynecology monument in Montgomery, Alabama created by Michelle Browder. The exhibit is just a short distance from the National Memorial of Peace and Justice. The statues were of Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy, three enslaved Black women that were tortured by J. Marion Sims, who is known as “the father of gynecology.” I had read about the unspeakable horror Sims inflicted on enslaved Black women in the name of advancing medical devices and procedures, but I never knew any of their names. It reminded me of the (Un)known Project and how many names and stories are not unknown, they are just hidden. There is an African Proverb that states, "Until the story of the hunt is told by the lion, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter." Our nation has chosen which stories to glorify.
Photo by Josh Miller
The National Monument Audit study (conducted by Monument Lab and one of the Unknown Project funders, Mellon Foundation) found that of the approximate 50,000 conventional monuments represented in every US state and territory, 0.5% is dedicated to representing enslaved people and abolition efforts. Not even 1% of the public art landscape is dedicated to telling the story of slavery in America. A period in our history that shaped this nation to this day. The study also revealed that 40 million dollars of taxpayer funds are spent to preserve Confederate symbols and sites. What are we fighting to honor in this country? What stories are we fighting to tell, and what stories are we fighting to hide?
Photo by Josh Miller
Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy existed. Their stories mattered. Their lives mattered.
I still haven’t been able to shake the feelings I had as I stared at the 3 statues. I was reminded so much of Black women today, the silent pain that Black women carry. The reality that chronic stress is making Black women sick. I was reminded of the ways that racism just eats away at you slowly. How we have come so far yet still appear to be standing in the same place.
I was reminded to never forget their names. As much as I remembered Breonna Taylor and Sandra Bland and Atatiana Jefferson, I had to remember Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy. All Black. All women. All still fighting for history to remember and say their names.
Photo by Josh Miller