In the 1880s, New Orleans physician Dr. Henry D. Schmidt sent the crania of 19 deceased African Americans to Dr. Emil Ludwig Schmidt of Leipzig, Germany, to be used for racially biased scientific research. Nearly 150 years later, the human remains have been returned to New Orleans and memorialized by Dillard University.
Before their passing, the individuals were cared for by Charity Hospital, which was acquired by University Medical Center New Orleans in 2015 following severe damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. Founded in 1736, Charity Hospital did not deny care regardless of race, nationality, religion, sex, or character.
In 2023, scholars at the University of Leipzig contacted the City of New Orleans with an offer to repatriate the remains. This prompted the city to form the Cultural Repatriation Committee with historically Black Dillard University and University Medical Center New Orleans.
At a May 31 ceremony at the Dillard University Lawless Memorial Chapel, the committee hosted a memorial service to honor the African Americans whose remains were used as “specimens” during a time of rampant colonialism and racial pseudoscience. The identified individuals who were laid to rest 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.
“Dillard University is deeply honored to serve as a steward in the sacred process of cultural repatriation,” said Dillard University President Monique Guillory. “This moment calls us to bear witness to a painful chapter in our collective history while recognizing the unique role our institution plays in preserving the dignity and legacy of those who were wrongfully taken. This is more than an act of remembrance – it is a restoration of humanity.”
