“University of Pennsylvania Repatriates Remains of Black Philadelphians in Effort to Address Institutional Racism”

– Penn Museum buries the bones of Black Philadelphians
– Dispute with community members over burial of Black Philadelphians.

Accident – Death – Obituary News : PHILADELPHIA — (AP) — The University of Pennsylvania recently made a significant move in addressing its past involvement in promoting white supremacy through racist scientific research. The university laid to rest some of the human remains it had been holding, specifically those belonging to 19 Black Philadelphians. The decision to bury the remains in Eden Cemetery, a local historic Black cemetery, has sparked controversy and raised questions about community involvement in such decisions.

The university, which houses over 1,000 human remains from around the world, stated that it wanted to begin rectifying past wrongs. Christopher Woods, the museum’s director, expressed the belief that repatriation should be a part of the museum’s mission and that starting with the remains identified as local community members was the right approach.

However, some leaders and advocates for the affected Black communities in Philadelphia have expressed their dissatisfaction with the university’s decision. They argue that the decision to reinter the remains was made without their input and that the university should not have the sole authority to determine the process and ceremony involved in repatriation.

Aliy A. Muhammad, a West Philadelphia native and community activist, emphasized the importance of community involvement in deciding what justice looks like in this situation. Muhammad stated that the same institution that held and controlled these ancestral remains for years should not be the one to dictate their repatriation.

During the interfaith commemoration at the Penn Museum, Woods addressed the crowd and acknowledged that the identities of the 19 individuals were not recorded. However, he assured attendees that the process of interment in above-ground mausoleums was fully reversible if future research could identify the remains and descendants made a claim.

The university’s efforts to repatriate the remains were met with mixed reactions from the community. Renee McBride Williams, a member of the community advisory group, expressed relief that the university was finally taking responsibility for its past actions. She emphasized the importance of accepting responsibility and fixing mistakes.

The university’s chaplain and vice president for social equity & community, Rev. Charles Lattimore Howard, also spoke at the commemoration and stated that even though the names of the individuals were unknown, they would be remembered and not forgotten.

The repatriation of human remains has become a priority for many museums and universities in recent years, especially those collections obtained through unethical means. However, the process of repatriation remains largely controlled by the institutions themselves, as there is no federal law regulating the return of human remains except in the case of Native Americans.

The human remains that were laid to rest at Eden Cemetery were part of the Morton Cranial Collection at the Penn Museum. Samuel George Morton, a physician and professor, collected about 900 crania in the 1830s with the intention of proving racial superiority. His pseudoscientific work influenced generations of research and was used to justify slavery in the antebellum South.

The collection has been housed at the University of Pennsylvania since 1966, and some of the remains were used for teaching purposes as recently as 2020. The university issued an apology in 2021 and revised its protocol for handling human remains. An advisory committee was formed to guide the university’s next steps, but critics argue that the committee was not representative of the affected community.

Anthropological archaeologist and professor Lyra Monteiro discovered through the city’s public archives that one of the individuals in the collection had a Native American mother. According to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), this individual’s remains should be repatriated through the appropriate channels. Monteiro and other researchers have criticized the university for not conducting thorough research on the identities of the individuals in the collection.

The university removed the cranium of the individual with Native American ancestry from the reburial to assess its eligibility for return through NAGPRA. However, this discovery further fueled outrage when it was revealed that the university had already interred the remains of the other Black Philadelphians without public visibility.

The Black Philadelphians Descendant Community Group, organized by individuals who identify as descendants of those in the mausoleum, expressed their devastation and hurt over the burial taking place without their involvement. They are currently taking time to process the situation and consider how best to honor their ancestors in the future.

The university defended its decision to bury the remains before the interfaith ceremony and blessing, stating that it aimed to balance the human dignity of the individuals with due diligence and logistical requirements. Christopher Woods expressed his belief that the majority of the community supported the decision to reinter the remains at Eden Cemetery and that it was only a vocal minority in opposition.

While the university has taken steps towards repatriation, there is still a long way to go. Over 300 Native American remains in the Morton Cranial Collection need to be repatriated under the regulations of NAGPRA. The university recently hired additional staff to expedite this process.

In conclusion, the University of Pennsylvania’s decision to lay to rest the remains of 19 Black Philadelphians has sparked both commendation and criticism. While the university aims to rectify past wrongs, some community members feel excluded from the decision-making process. The repatriation of human remains remains a complex issue, and the university still has work to do in addressing its involvement in promoting white supremacy through racist scientific research..

General two-seo long-tailed from Penn Museum buries the bones of Black Philadelphians, causing a dispute with community members – Boston News.