The Countway Library at Harvard Medical School is hosting a closing ceremony for the art exhibition "Call and Response: A Narrative of Reverence to our Foremothers in Gynecology" on January 21. Developed by the Resilient Sisterhood Project, the multimedia exhibition highlights the exploitation of enslaved Black women—Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy—in the origins of modern gynecology, focusing on experiments by Dr. J. Marion Sims in the 1840s. The event will feature speakers including artists Jules Arthur, Dr. Michele David, Michelle Hartney, and others, along with community organizers.
This exhibition matters because it uses visual art to confront a painful, often overlooked chapter in medical history, linking historical racial injustice to contemporary reproductive health disparities. By centering the stories of enslaved women and engaging artists and medical professionals, the event fosters critical dialogue about ethics, equity, and healing in both art and medicine, underscoring the power of art to drive social change.