Thank You Michelle Browder, creator of the Anarcha, Lucy, Betsey Monument
It’s been 3 weeks since I attended The Anarcha, Lucy, Betsey Day of Reckoning Part 2 conference in Montgomery, Alabama and I can’t stop thinking about how transformative the experience was for me. Michelle Browder, the artist and activist who curated the event, is creating a pathway toward healing through truth-telling, coalition building, and so much JOY!
If you’re just starting to hear the buzz, or you don’t know her yet, Michelle Browder’s work in Alabama extends way beyond this conference. Here’s a snapshot:
The Anarcha, Lucy, Betsey Monument soars 15 feet high and stands in honor of the young enslaved women (girls, really) in and around Montgomery, who were experimented upon, without anesthesia nor consent, by the man who would become known as the father of gynecology - James Marion Sims. Michelle lovingly calls these women The Mothers. This monument is within a mile from the state capitol building where a statue of Sims still stands today. Other statues of this doctor around the country have been taken down. Most notably, one that stood in Central Park across the street from the New York Academy of Medicine for over 70 years after it stood in Bryant Park for 30 years (take a breath and a minute to think about all of that symbolism).
The Mothers of Gynecology Health and Wellness Museum and Clinic - Michelle purchased the building that is on the property once owned by Sims and was the place where he brutalized enslaved girls with his experimentations. Now a health and wellness center, this space will be used by birth and reproductive care professionals to provide prenatal care and other programming.
Watch this 9 min PBS NewsHour segment to learn and see more about the clinic and monument.
Coming soon: The Creative Changemakers Museum and The More Up Travel Center - Both will be spaces that educate by correcting history and inspiring us all to do better.
So back to this idea about joy which is so important. Kimberly Seals Allers’ response to the media’s doom and gloom narrative surrounding Black maternal health is that “... we must deploy joy as a tool in the fight toward birth equity.”
Michelle Browder gets that. Over the 3-day conference, we were all so very well taken care of as we grappled with the poor state of maternal care for Black folks. And we knew that joy was going to be our act of resistance. Michelle made sure that our gathering spaces were beautiful, our food was on point, we could sing, we could dance, a DJ was ever present, there was an outdoor concert on the grounds of the monument. I even got a massage in the wellness room, twice!
Michelle Browder has built a home for us - our community based doulas, our midwives, our journalists and scholars, and the people who will give birth to the next generation. The Mothers of Gynecology Monument is now my beacon - my guide, and my creative center in birth work.
I have always known that the artists are the ones who will imagine a better future for us all. I’m forever grateful. Thank you, Michelle
