Join TransAfrica and BloomBars at the screening of Until the Well Runs Dry: Medicine and the Exploitation of Black Bodies (2011), by Shawn Utsey, PhD—a film that chronicles the involvement of well known medical colleges in the practice of illegal grave robbing of Black cemeteries during the 19th century. In the 1800’s, many medical colleges in the United States engaged in and encouraged the practice of grave-robbing Black cemeteries for purposes of medical dissection. Many in academia regarded blacks as inferior and therefore expendable in the interest of medical study. Much of the film centers on the life of Chris Baker – a black laboratory assistant who worked for the Medical College of Virginia (now Virginia Commonwealth University). Baker, known euphemistically as an “anatomical man,” robbed graves and supplied African American bodies to Virginia medical colleges for decades. Dr. Utsey makes the case that much of the historical mistrust of African-Americans towards the medical profession is due to these practices and other infamous incidents, such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.
Our film will be followed by a discussion with Shawn Utsey the director of Until the Well Runs Dry.
Free popcorn and refreshments provided.
Suggested Donation: $10.
Proceeds will benefit both TransAfrica and BloomBars. Your support of TransAfrica will help amplify the voice of millions of people in Africa and throughout the Diaspora. Gifts to BloomBars helps support its programs and work in the community.
