Claire Healy, a freelance journalist, uncovered a troubling history of human remains curated at the Smithsonian through an investigation that started with a tip from an artist. Initially drawn to the unmarked graves of Filipino individuals from the 1904 World's Fair, Healy's inquiry led her to discover a much larger collection of human remains at the Smithsonian, encompassing over 30,700 bones and body parts, predominantly from marginalized populations. This prompted a public acknowledgment of the ethical implications by the Smithsonian secretary and highlighted the dark legacies tied to the institution's practices.
"It's so heavy. People who are already being brought to the U.S. to be put on display in a human zoo ... and then the extra layer ... of their brains being removed and sent to the Smithsonian. (It) was really shocking."
"How many brains do you have? Who are these people? Why do you have them, and what are you doing with them?"
The investigation revealed that the Smithsonian's collection of human remains is one of the largest in the world. The National Museum of Natural History has at least 30,700 human bones and body parts in storage.
The secretary of the Smithsonian apologized on behalf of the institution in an op-ed published in the Post.
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