A new monument is opening this weekend in Montgomery that supporters say will tell the full story of a controversial statue in Alabama’s capitol.
The new Mothers of Gynecology memorial depicts three of the 11 women operated on by J. Marion Sims. He has a statue in his honor in Montgomery as the so-called father of modern gynecology. The new memorial focuses on the enslaved women who critics say were experimented on without anesthesia.
Michelle Browder is the founder and creator of the Mothers of Gynecology monument. She said she hopes this exhibit will make the state of Alabama reconsider the history involved.
“If you’re going to have J. Marion Sims at the state capitol and label him as the father of gynecology, then you have to talk about the mothers," she said. "You have to talk about these Black women who actually set the tone for the cures for these fistulas. You have to talk about the torture, humiliation and degradation that they went through.”
Browder emphasized that Black women are currently two to three times more likely to die in childbirth.
“We have to change the narrative in healthcare and how we administer treatment. That comes from empathy, and empathy will come from learning the truth of this systemic racism, hatred and bias in healthcare," she said. "That’s what we’re hoping to do, that’s what we want to see, are these courageous conversations.”
The Mothers of Gynecology memorial officially opens this Sunday.
