Talk:Lucy Higgs Nichols

	Biography portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography articles
	This article is supported by the military biography work group.

Women's History

	History portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Women's History, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Women's history and related articles on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Women's HistoryWikipedia:WikiProject Women's HistoryTemplate:WikiProject Women's HistoryWomen's History articles
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale.

African diaspora

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject African diaspora, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of African diaspora on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.African diasporaWikipedia:WikiProject African diasporaTemplate:WikiProject African diasporaAfrican diaspora articles
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale.

Nursing Mid‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Nursing, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Nursing on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.NursingWikipedia:WikiProject NursingTemplate:WikiProject NursingNursing articles
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.

Military history: North America / United States

This article is within the scope of the Military history WikiProject. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks. To use this banner, please see the full instructions.Military historyWikipedia:WikiProject Military historyTemplate:WikiProject Military historymilitary history articles

This article has been checked against the following criteria for B-class status:
Referencing and citation: criterion met Coverage and accuracy: criterion not met Structure: criterion met Grammar and style: criterion not met Supporting materials: criterion met

Associated task forces:
/
	North American military history task force
	United States military history task force

United States: Indiana / Louisville

	United States portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject United States, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of topics relating to the United States of America on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the ongoing discussions. Template Usage Articles Requested! Become a Member Project Talk Alerts United StatesWikipedia:WikiProject United StatesTemplate:WikiProject United StatesUnited States articles
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale.
	Indiana portal This article is supported by WikiProject Indiana.
	Kentucky portal This article is supported by WikiProject Louisville (assessed as Low-importance).

Articles for creation

	This article was reviewed by member(s) of WikiProject Articles for creation. The project works to allow users to contribute quality articles and media files to the encyclopedia and track their progress as they are developed. To participate, please visit the project page for more information.Articles for creationWikipedia:WikiProject Articles for creationTemplate:WikiProject Articles for creationAfC articles
	This article was accepted on 13 November 2013 by reviewer Voceditenore (talk · contribs).

Guild of Copy Editors

This article was copy edited by Dhtwiki, a member of the Guild of Copy Editors, on March 25, 2015.Guild of Copy EditorsWikipedia:WikiProject Guild of Copy EditorsTemplate:WikiProject Guild of Copy EditorsGuild of Copy Editors articles

John Nichols[edit]

I am wondering if anyone has any information on Lucy Nichols 2nd husband John Nichols.? My family name is Nichols and I would Like more information on the last name Nichols (black family) please and thank you. 2601:644:201:ADB0:C5D6:E63F:7638:FE1C (talk) 18:12, 16 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Dehumanizing/Demeaning language[edit]

Thank you to those who have put in the time to tell us about this amazing ancestor, Ms. Higgs Nichols.

It would also be good to adjust the language to reflect our 21st century ethics - that this lady was a highly accomplished person of tremendous courage, resourcefulness and internal strength -- who lived in a society in which she was vulnerable to and a survivor of non-stop civil, economic, and human rights violations and crimes against humanity.

One convention used in this article is remarkable for how it contrasts with other articles regarding other notable personages.

For instance, in the Wikipedia article for Andrew Jackson, "executioner, slaver, ethnic cleanser ... economic illiterate", and "tyrant" (Dylan Matthew's, Vox, 2016), nowhere is Jackson referred to as "Andrew". Yet in Ms. Higgs Nichols' article she is referred to throughout as "Lucy", only appropriate for children and others who are not considered adults or otherwise full citizens.

Several passages in this article are striking in that they use language that was common in the early 1800s -- today 200 years later -- to describe the life of Ms. Higgs Nichols. This language communicates a sense that Ms. Higgs Nichols is not a full citizen and 'subject' of her life (and of this article ) -- but as if she was indeed an inanimate object, item of 'property'.

These passages could be reworded to 'emancipate' her from language which denies her her humanity and agency - see below:

"Rueben Higgs' heirs were allotted a portion of slaves and land"

could be reworded

"Rueben Higgs' heirs were allotted a portion including land and enslaved persons"

"after which she was sent south with other slave property to Mississippi and allotted to"

could be reworded

"after which she was sent south with other enslaved persons to Mississippi and given into bondage to Wineford Amanda Higgs, ..."

It is sad that a person this resourceful, with this much initiative, in later life never had the opportunity to shine in any work outside the drudgery of housework. But it is heartening that she was able to get that pension.

Again, with respect, my gratitude to you all for this article. 50.249.58.198 (talk) 21:20, 8 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I think that "Lucy" could be replaced with a surname at some places, although often the first name is used to distinguish people with the same last name, such as Higgs Nichols from her daughter Mona. There's also the matter of, say, "Higgs Nichols", being more verbose than "Lucy", if that is to be the surname. The verbosity of "enslaved person", as opposed to "slave", doesn't really lend dignity to that condition, IMO, even though it is a modern attempt to do so; it's just more verbose and imposes the drudgery of extra typing on editors. "Drudgery of housework", I think, demeans what she was capable of. Her picture, as well as the description of her range of abilities, doesn't indicate someone who was some put-upon washerwoman. Dhtwiki (talk) 08:56, 9 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]