After more than a century away, 19 African American souls have finally returned home.
This weekend, New Orleans held a powerful tribute—part solemn memorial, part joyful jazz funeral—for the remains of 19 people.
Their skulls had been shipped to Germany in the 1800s for racist “scientific” research.
Now, they’ve been laid to rest at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial, their dignity finally honored.
“We know them because of the horrific way their bodies were treated after death,” said Monique Guillory.
She is president of Dillard University, which led the effort.
“But this is our chance to give them the respect they never received.”
What’s The Backstory?
These individuals likely died of natural causes at Charity Hospital between 1871 and 1872.
It was an era when Black people had little agency, even in death.
Their skulls were used in phrenology, a now-discredited pseudoscience that sought to link skull shape with racial traits.
Dr. Eva Baham, who led the repatriation, put it bluntly: “All kinds of experiments were done on Black bodies, living and dead.”
In 2023, Germany’s University of Leipzig contacted New Orleans to return the remains.
A small but vital act of reckoning.
“They had names. They had stories,” Guillory reminded mourners. “And they walked the same streets we do.”
Now, at long last, they can rest in peace—on their own terms.
