Early this year, Black and Brown communities of New York City chose Vinnie Bagwell’s “Victory Beyond Sims" to replace the Fifth Avenue monument of J. Marion Sims, a man who performed non-consensual, gynecological experiments on enslaved Black women in the 19th century.

In March, the City Council of New York paused the funding for public-art commissions. Due to this freezing of contracts, the production of Bagwell's "Victory," which represents the suffering and transcendence of Black women, has been halted. This work has become exponentially relevant in the wake of the recent mobilization of the Black Lives Matter movement, as it brings attention to the brutalization of Black bodies throughout history.

As the reallocation of NYPD funds ($6B) is being fought for, public art that aims to educate audiences is a necessary investment.

It is time for justice to be granted to the Black, Puerto Rican, Latinx, Indigenous, and other women of color, who have been victimized by the medical community and society at large.

Vinnie Bagwell on "Victory"