The remains of 19 African Americans, sent to Germany for phrenological studies in the 19th century, were returned to New Orleans and honored with a multifaith service. During the memorial, Monique Guillory emphasized the opportunity to commemorate the humanity denied to them due to their desecration. The remains, believed to belong to individuals who died naturally between 1871 and 1872, were housed in a university chapel before being laid to rest at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial, symbolizing recognition of their history and the injustices faced by Black individuals in medical research.
We ironically know these 19 because of the horrific thing that happened to them after their death, the desecration of their bodies, said Monique Guillory.
This is actually an opportunity for us to recognize and commemorate the humanity of all of these individuals who would have been denied, you know, such a respectful send-off and final burial.
All kinds of experiments were done on Black bodies living and dead, said Dr. Eva Baham, a historian who led Dillard University's efforts to repatriate the individuals' remains.
In 2023, the University of Leipzig in Germany reached out to the City of New Orleans to find a way to return the remains.
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