An example of systemic injustice I have witnessed recently is hearing of the forced hysterectomies of people in ICE detention facilities at the border of the United States and Mexico. These inhumane accounts of forced ethnic cleansing evokes memories of eugenics in American history (and world history, for that matter), and proves that systemic racism against people of color is still at work.
According to Karen Pallarito of Microsoft News, these are largely involuntary; a woman who experienced one at the Irwin County Detention Center stated: “when I met all these women who had had surgeries, I thought this was like an experimental concentration camp. It was like they’re experimenting with our bodies” (2020). These People of Color, attempting to seek refuge in the United States and build a better life for themselves, are met with race-based hostility; systemic racism prevents them from leading healthy lives within these detention facilities. These people were immediately Othered upon their entrance into the United States, and they were immediately deemed inferior (so much so that an act of eugenics was committed against them en masse) to maintain the status quo of white superiority in America. As Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is quoted in NPR, these hysterectomies are a “staggering abuse of human rights”; she continues: “this profoundly disturbing situation recalls some of the darkest moments of our nation’s history, from the exploitation of Henrietta Lacks, to the horror of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, to the forced sterilizations of Black women that Fannie Lou Hamer and so many others underwent and fought” (2020).
This instance reminded me of Spivak’s analysis of the subaltern; I feel as if the immigrants that are trapped in these ICE detention facilities at the border are not only Othered into being “second-class citizens,” but they have been subjugated into the subaltern role, given that their identity has become their difference—a difference is so great that the US government determined they must prevent their bloodline from procreating further. This is what is done with dogs in a kennel, not with human beings; this abhorrent resurgence of eugenics practices leaves me fearful for what is to come down the line if the current Administration remains in power come November.
To me, this incident mirrored some of the rhetoric that I read while learning about human experimentation in Nazi Germany. To say it is unjust is an understatement; it is indicative of white supremacy to a dangerous degree. I am hopeful that upon the House of Representatives investigation, all of these people are given the resources to seek justice and citizenship if they so choose, though no amount of legal justice acquired can make up for the tragic and inexcusable acts of racism committed within that detention center. I wish those individuals a peaceful recovery.
These images, one of a protest outside the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia and one of a politicized uterus, convey the magnitude of the inhumanity of these forced sterilizations and are indicative of the systemic injustices that have been committed.
References:
https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/91520-0
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/hysterectomies-ice-allegations-whistleblower-georgia-1062429/
https://www.thelily.com/a-whistleblower-alleges-mass-hysterectomies-at-an-ice-detention-center-the-us-has-a-brutal-history-of-forced-sterilizations/
Addy, your presentation is extremely well-thought and you can definitely tell that you did your research. It is important to bring like to this situation because I truly think that many people do not know that this is going on or they at least turn a blind eye. This is a true injustice and I think that the government needs to come together, party line aside, to make sure that this is evaluated and revoked. I also think it is important to mention that while the current administration has a lot of power, there are checks and balances by other levels of the government that are supposed to not be biased on party lines and are both democratic and republican congress people.
Hi Addy,
I thought reading through your presentation was very enlightening and was very well thought out and written. This injustice is so important to talk about since I feel it is often pushed aside or even ignored by the general public. I really agree and think that we need to come together and put aside the idea of political parties and really just focus on what’s best truly for everyone. Really good idea and even better execution!