Although we weren’t able to fully discuss the statue removals
in Memphis, I wanted to draw some attention to an important statue removal that
happened last week in New York City. The statue was of J. Marion Sims, an incredibly
influential figure in the field of gynecology. The statue was removed from
Central Park after the Public Design Commission and the mayor’s office
unanimously voted to relocate the statue to Sims’ gravesite in Brooklyn. Sims’
important work and contributions to gynecology are problematic because they
were discovered through inhumane experimentation on enslaved black women. The
article about the statue removal frequently quotes from Sims’ journals and experimental
records. Sims experiments were conducted without anesthesia and he repeatedly performed
surgery again and again on the same subjects as soon as they had partially
healed from the previous attempt. The techniques acquired from this research where
later implemented on white women (with anesthesia). The article also connects Sims
work to the unequal treatment of black patients today, quoting the research of another
NPR program, Hidden Brain, "Black
patients continue to receive less pain medication for broken bones and cancer.
Black children receive less pain medication that white children for appendicitis.
One reason for this is that many people inaccurately believe that blacks
literally have thicker skin than whites and experience less pain." [1]
This discriminatory treatment highlights the way historical stereotypes have real-life
effects on the wellbeing of marginalized groups.
NYC is replacing the statue with another monument. One of
the proposed replacements is a monument towards women of color in science. It
is important to note that the commission also suggested the ‘re-contextualization’
of other controversial monuments with more accurate and complete plaques
describing the history of the monument or statue’s subject. [2]
This removal provides a model for future
changes to historical monuments that represent racist ideology.
There are 800 other monuments considered for removal by the commission.
Should Memphis consider removing other public monuments or, given the severe
reaction to the previous statue removals here, should Memphis take on more of a
re-contextualization stance and replace plaques at remaining controversial
monuments?
[1] Camila Domonoske, “‘Father Of Gynecology,’
Who Experimented On Slaves, No Longer On Pedestal In NYC” (NPR, April 17,
2018).
[2] Domonoske.
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