‘Mothers of Gynecology’ monument to be unveiled Friday
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - A new monument will be unveiled Friday, the first of its kind in the country. It honors three women who never got the credit for the role they played in modern-day women’s healthcare.
In the 1800s, three women- Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey, were enslaved by Montgomery Dr. J. Marion Sims. He performed a number of experimental surgeries on them without their consent and without any anesthesia.
Michelle Browder is the artist who created this monument using discarded pieces of steel, copper. What will be unveiled Friday is a 15-foot tall monument to honor those women and what they went through, and how their experience paved the way for the healthcare women experience today.
Because Sims is known as the “father of gynecology”, Browder calls the women of her monument the “Mothers of Gynecology”.
The monument is on Mildred street in Montgomery, just down the street from the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. A weekend full of events is planned for the unveiling.
September 24:
- 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at The More Up Campus - 17 Mildred Street (Outdoor event) • A Private Unveiling of the Mothers of Gynecology (by invitation) • A Tour of The More Up Campus featuring plans of The More Up Travel Center and The Creative Change-makers Museum • Light Dinner
September 25:
- 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at The More Up Campus - 17 Mildred Street Donation of $10.00/ticket No admission cost for children. • Public Unveiling of The Mothers of Gynecology • Tickets.
- 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at The Mothers Of Gynecology Tour - 17 Mildred Street $31.50/ticket • The Mothers Bus Tour featuring New Civil Rights Sanctuaries
- 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Westcott Plantation at The King’s Canvas - 1413 Oak Street • Live Art, Real History, and Good Food
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