By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Nineteen skulls of Black individuals, removed from their bodies in New Orleans’ Charity Hospital in 1872 and sent to Leipzig University for racist pseudo-scientific research, are being returned. A memorial ceremony will honor these individuals, acknowledging a shameful chapter in medical history fueled by unfounded theories of racial inferiority. The event aims to confront this dark past and provide a path toward justice and remembrance for the victims. The repatriation and memorialization represent a crucial step towards reconciliation and acknowledging past injustices.
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Nineteen Black Americans’ skulls, severed from their bodies over 150 years ago and sent to Germany for what was then considered “research,” are finally returning to New Orleans. Their repatriation marks a significant step toward justice and remembrance, culminating in a memorial service aimed at confronting a dark chapter in history. The remains, belonging to individuals who died at Charity Hospital in 1872, were shipped to Leipzig University, a common, yet horrifying practice at the time.
This practice was fueled by the racist pseudo-science claiming Black people possessed inferior intellect due to smaller brain sizes. This was a deeply flawed and unfounded theory, yet it served as justification for the barbaric treatment of these individuals, who were robbed of their dignity and reduced to mere specimens. They were not numbers or labels; they were individuals with families, stories, and lives – lives tragically cut short and their remains disrespected.
The skulls were returned to New Orleans just a week before the memorial service. This repatriation followed a two-year journey, initiated by contact from Leipzig University in 2023. The university, possessing a skull collection dating back to the 1800s, contacted the city to initiate the return process as part of a broader effort to repatriate skulls to their origins. This led to the formation of a Cultural Repatriation Committee, diligently working to ensure the respectful return and memorialization of these individuals.
The committee stressed the importance of honoring the deceased, not merely as skeletal remains, but as people. The memorial service, held at Dillard University’s Lawless Memorial Chapel, served as a crucial opportunity to give names and recognition to those whose identities were stripped from them. Among those honored were Adam Grant, Isaak Bell, Hiram Smith, William Pierson, Henry Williams, John Brown, Hiram Malone, William Roberts, Alice Brown, Prescilla Hatchet, Marie Louise, Mahala, Samuel Prince, John Tolman, Henry Allen, Moses Willis, and Henry Anderson. Sadly, two of the skulls remain unidentified, highlighting the lasting impact of this horrific chapter in history.
The event at Dillard University, one of two historically Black universities in New Orleans, holds profound significance. It provides a platform to acknowledge this painful past and honor the memory of those who were victims of this egregious and racist practice. The memorial service represents more than a mere burial; it’s an act of restorative justice, seeking to reclaim the dignity and personhood that were unjustly denied to these individuals.
This event highlights a broader issue – the pervasive use of pseudo-scientific justifications for racism throughout history. The idea of inherent intellectual inferiority, rooted in phrenology and later eugenics, was used to justify slavery, segregation, and other forms of oppression. While thoroughly debunked, these theories continue to resurface, underscoring the need for continuous vigilance against such ideologies.
This particular case is not an isolated incident. Many institutions, including the Smithsonian, possess collections of human remains obtained under ethically questionable circumstances. The Smithsonian’s collection, comprising thousands of remains, largely belonging to Native Americans, was often acquired through morally reprehensible methods. While apologies have been offered and efforts are underway for repatriation, the long and painful process highlights the enduring legacy of past injustices.
The return of these 19 skulls to New Orleans represents a crucial step toward reconciliation. It’s a testament to the persistence of those fighting to restore dignity and honor to the victims of historical racism and to ensure that similar injustices never occur again. The memorial service is not just a burial, but a powerful statement about the importance of truth, justice, and remembrance in the face of a horrific past. The unidentified skulls serve as a stark reminder of the lasting consequences of these acts, emphasizing the urgent need for ongoing efforts towards full accountability and reconciliation.