Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

New Orleans Buries African American Skulls Used in Racist Research
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
06 Jun 2025
🖨️ Print Article

Black Agenda Radio · New Orleans Buries African American Skulls Used in Racist Research

Nineteen Black people who died at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, in December 1871 and January 1872 were decapitated and their skulls were removed and sent to Leipzig, Germany for study in the racist pseudo-science known as phrenology. In 2023, the University of Leipzig contacted New Orleans officials and offered to repatriate the skulls, which were recently returned. On May 31st, a jazz funeral was held for these men and women, and the remains were properly interred. Our guest is Dr. Eva Baham. She is a professor at Dillard University in New Orleans and Chair of the Repatriation Committee.

Louisiana
Germany
Colonialism
African America
Racist Medicine

Related Podcasts

BAR Radio Logo
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio May 8, 2026
08 May 2026
In this week’s segment, we discuss a military attack carried out by Western-backed insurgents against the African nation Mali and the imperialist a
ACLU
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Louisiana v. Callais and the Black Vote
08 May 2026
The Supreme Court ruling in the case Louisiana v.
Lousiana
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
The Struggle for Black Electoral Power in Louisiana
08 May 2026
C.C. Campbell Rock is a New Orleans-based journalist.

More Stories


  • U.S. Based Black Radicals Convening in Atlanta, Georgia to Develop An Agenda for Resistance and Transformation!
    ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
    U.S. Based Black Radicals Convening in Atlanta, Georgia to Develop An Agenda for Resistance and Transformation!
    21 Jun 2023
    An upcoming conference will bring Black radicals together to develop strategies for self-determination, Pan-African solidarity, and liberation.
  • ESSAY: I Go to Jail for the Scottsboro Boys, Ada Wright, 1932
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: I Go to Jail for the Scottsboro Boys, Ada Wright, 1932
    21 Jun 2023
    Mrs. Ada Wright, mother of two of the “Scottsboro Boys,” traveled the world to advocate on their behalf. This essay is a remarkable testament to the unrewarded and unheralded labors of the Black…
  • Could Cornel West Help the Greens Win Ballot Access in 50 States?
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Could Cornel West Help the Greens Win Ballot Access in 50 States?
    21 Jun 2023
    Dr. Cornel West is a candidate for the Green Party’s 2024 nomination. I spoke to ballot access expert Richard Winger, who thinks that if he wins, the Greens might qualify for the ballot in all 50…
  • Is cruelty Governor Woke Smoke’s superpower?
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    Is cruelty Governor Woke Smoke’s superpower?
    21 Jun 2023
    Is cruelty Governor Woke Smoke’s superpower?
  •  BAR Book Forum: Danielle N. Boaz’s Book, “Banning Black Gods”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Danielle N. Boaz’s Book, “Banning Black Gods”
    21 Jun 2023
    This week’s featured author is Danielle N. Boaz. Boaz is Associate Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her book is Banning Black Gods:…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us