An Ivy League university on Saturday buried the remains of 19 black people whose skulls were used as part of a racist scientific research project in the early 19th century.
The University of Pennsylvania held a historic memorial service to honor the Philadelphians whose skulls were unethically collected to support white supremacy research that aimed to prove that black people were a different race of humans than white people.
The research was conducted, beginning in the 1830s, by physician Samuel G. Morton, who looted human remains from institutions that housed poor and mentally ill black people.
The body parts of the unknown and unconsenting subjects had been on display at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology since 1966.
University officials say they’re trying to right past wrongs through reparations — something that has gotten some pushback from local activists who say officials rushed to make burial plans before identifying the remains and made the plan without seeking community input.