In celebration of Black Women’s History Week at Bucknell, the Women’s Resource Center hosted a book group, led by director Ree Joseph, to discuss some passages from Deirdre Cooper Owens’s book Medical Bondage. The book explores how 19th-century American doctors used enslaved Black women and Irish women for medical experimentation and the advancement of gynecology. It discusses the complexity of denying these women their humanity while valuing them in the medical field. I really enjoyed the event because of its unique spin on a book club which made it more interactive and allowed us to reflect within our own experiences. Quotes from the book were taped around the room, but we couldn’t see what they said at first. We were asked to stand by the theme that interested us most or resonated with us. Once we chose a theme, we took the card beneath it, which had the quote printed on it. We read the quote individually, then took turns reading it aloud and sharing our interpretations, both in terms of its meaning during the time it was written and its relevance for Black women today. There was a lot of vulnerability expressed about how the medical field has not taken Black women’s pain seriously and how there are still eugenic narratives around Black people’s bodies.
Some of the topics discussed included Black women’ labor and delivery experiences, Black women’s visibility in the medical field, and disparities in patient education. The book group was refreshing because not only did it allow us to talk about the history of Black women in the medical field, it also offered a safe place to talk about things with other Black women. Spaces like this are important to validate Black women’s experiences and to know that it is a systematic issue and not a personal one. It was also a space to share information on how we can take up space in medical spaces as well as speak up for ourselves.
–Da’Mirah Vinson