Burial Held for African Americans Whose Skulls Were Employed in Racist Scientific Exploration, Now Returned to New Orleans
Celebrating the Dignity of 19: Returning 19th Century African American Remains in New Orleans
In the heart of New Orleans, a poignant event unfolded, honoring the dignity of 19 African American individuals whose remains were returned from Germany. These victims, whose skulls were once used for racist research in the 19th century, found their final resting place at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial during a heartfelt multifaith memorial service.
Saturated with soul and symbolism, the ceremony paid tribute to these individuals, a testament to their inherent worth that was tragically and unjustly denied during their time. The proceedings climaxed with a jazz funeral — a distinct New Orleans tradition that marked the homecoming of these souls to their eternal abode.
Monique Guillory, the president of Dillard University, a historically Black private liberal arts college, took the initiative to bring the remains to their final resting place in New Orleans. She explained, "We ironically know these 19 because of the horrific thing that happened to them after their death, the desecration of their bodies. This is actually an opportunity for us to recognize and commemorate the humanity of all these individuals who would have been denied, you know, such a respectful send-off and final burial."
These 19 individuals are believed to have died from natural causes between 1871 and 1872 at Charity Hospital—a institution that catered to all races and classes during a grim era steeped in white supremacist oppression in the 1800s. The hospital shut its doors after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The remains of these 19 people were kept in 19 wooden boxes and were present during the service, which was adorned with music from the Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective. A New Orleans physician was the one who provided the skulls of these 19 individuals to a German researcher engaged in discredited phrenological studies[1][2].
Dr. Henry D. Schmidt was the researcher who received the skulls, and his studies were based on the controversial theory that a person's skull shape could predict innate racial characteristics. The return of these remains is viewed as "a demonstration of our own morality here in New Orleans and in Leipzig with the professors there who wanted to do something to restore the dignity of these people," said historian Eva Baham, who led Dillard University's efforts to repatriate the individuals' remains. The University of Leipzig, the institution that once housed the remains, hasn't commented on the matter.
Renewed, dedicated research by Dillard University will continue to uncover more about these people. They hope to locate potential descendants and shed light on their history, learning more about their lives.
"These were really poor, indigent people in the end of the 19th century, but ... they had names, they had addresses, they walked the streets of the city that we love," Guillory said. "We all deserve a recognition of our humanity and the value of our lives."
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- https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2023/04/08/1127168368/skulls-of-19-dead-black-people-from-19th-century-returned-to-new-orleans
- https://history.dillard.edu/skulls/
- https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/14/health/cucumber-salmonella-outbreak-trnd/index.html
- https://www.wbir.com/2023/04/15/body-found-stone-mountain-park/
In the light of ongoing scientific research, the dignity of 19 African American individuals, once subjected to racial research in the 19th century, is being commemorated through a focus on health-and-wellness and mental-health aspects of their lives. Monique Guillory, president of Dillard University, advocates for a comprehensive understanding of these individuals, emphasizing the importance of recognizing their human worth, a respect that was denied during their time.
