Embracing the Past and Acknowledging the Present

“The erection of this monument has a profoundly important purpose. It is to perpetuate the remembrance of what the men of Rhode Island did and suffered in behalf of the entire country,” are the words Rev. Augustus Woodbury spoke at the dedication of the monument. [10] Put simply, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial was created after the Civil War to shape the memory of those who visited it, for the purpose of honoring those soldiers and sailors of Rhode Island who had fallen. However, unlike before, this included all men of various races, classes, and privileges. As the first monument to have a Black figure outside of a cemetery and to be one of the firsts to allegorize a Black woman, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument under the craftsmanship of Randolph Rogers completed a lot at its time, even without the fame and popularity that the monument might have deserved. For the late 1800s, when people were just developing what it meant for the Black race to be free, this monument is a notable memorial to observe.

However, when considering the monument in a contemporary context, the female Black allegorical figure may be displaying a different message. In a current social context where Black women’s bodies have been hypersexualized, exploited, and commodified, the monument may serve to perpetuate these ideas in the people who interact with the monument in their daily lives. After all, the monument is seen and interpreted by people with the knowledge they have, and as the monument lacks any signage or text to help further contextualize and explain the monument and the role of the woman within the bronze bas-relief, viewers are going to draw conclusions based on that knowledge. This however is a result of the monument form itself, as monuments are not the static works of art they are made out to be. Rather, the meaning of monuments change with their surrounding environments, demographics, and corresponding culture. As over a century and a half has passed since this monument was dedicated, there are bound to be changes in how it is interpreted and what function the monument serves. In this case, the monument may be transforming from a trailblazing work to a harmful monumentscape. By the Black figure’s breast being the only one exposed, the contrast may prompt the audience to draw simple yet potent conclusions. For example, the Black woman is the only woman with her breast exposed, therefore, she is more sexually uninhibited and thus more accessible for sexual acts. This ultimately devolves the Black woman into a common stereotype of lecherous sexuality while emboldening viewers to feel entitlement and assume access to that sexuality and the bodies believed to contain it. This topic requires further study, particularly as interviews of how Rhode Islanders today see her would provide helpful insight.