Tiny Matters The Mothers of Gynecology: The centuries that led to today’s Black maternal mortality crisis
Mar 18, 2026
Monique Rainford, obstetrician and maternal health justice advocate. Deidre Cooper Owens, historian of medicine who uncovers gynecology’s roots in slavery. Alexis Pedrick, science-history storyteller and producer. They trace racist myths about Black bodies, historic medical exploitation, modern pain bias and maternal disparities, and consider midwifery, doulas, and policy as responses.
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Serena Williams Had To Demand Life Saving Tests
- Serena Williams experienced dismissed breathing problems and insisted on a CT scan that revealed a pulmonary embolism.
- A nurse initially attributed her symptoms to pain medication, illustrating clinician dismissal even for a high-profile Black patient.
Gynecology Developed Through Enslaved Women's Bodies
- Gynecology's development in the U.S. was tightly linked to slavery and experimentation on enslaved women by James Marion Sims.
- Sims performed repeated surgeries on enslaved women who could not consent, creating techniques later applied broadly.
The Pain Myth Was Codified Into Medical Practice
- The persistent myth that Black people feel less pain justified withholding analgesia and experimental surgery, despite clinical records showing restraint and resistance.
- Medical literature codified the myth, making it part of training and practice.
