Investigating Black Women's Mental Health in Progressive Era New York City: A Bioarchaeological Study of Slow Violence and Landscapes of Impunity

Engaging with the concepts of slow violence and landscapes of impunity, this article traces the United States' long history of state-sanctioned violence against Black women that affects both their physical and mental health. The extent of this abuse is revealed by examining the skeletal and archival remains of Black women who died during the Progressive Era in New York City. The same methods of marginalization and punishment have consistently been repeated and repurposed throughout the country's history. This violence is perpetrated not only by the state, but also by scientists who would argue for racial and gender inferiority, therefore bolstering false assumptions. Examining this history is a crucial step in denaturalizing structures that harm Black women's health and safety.