Pennsylvania museum apologises for collecting skulls of Black Americans

 A museum in Pennsylvania on Monday, April 12, apologised for collecting the skulls of Black Americans. The museum also vowed to return the skulls to their respective communities. The director of Penn Museum, Dr. Christopher Woods, issued a statement in which he expressed regret and on behalf of the museum and the University of Pennsylvania of Archaeology and Anthropology. “The Penn Museum and the University of Pennsylvania apologize for the unethical possession of human remains in the Morton Collection”, said Dr. Woods. 

He further said, “It is time for these individuals to be returned to their ancestral communities, wherever possible, as a step toward atonement and repair for the racist and colonial practices that were integral to the formation of these collections. We will also reassess our practices of collecting, stewarding, displaying, and researching human remains”. 

The action plan

The department has also announced its action plan regarding the repatriation or reburial of ancestors, including the remains of Black Philadelphians within the Samuel G. Morton Cranial collection. The plan is based on a report which highlights the recommendations from the Morton Collection Committee. This committee was formed in August 2020 and the report is being publicly released on April 12, 2021. 

The skulls were collected in the first half of the 19th century by Samuel G. Morton. His research was used to justify white supremacist views. The collection was moved from the Drexel Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia to the Penn Museum in 1966. Currently, it is housed in storage in the Museum’s Physical Anthropology Section. The Morton Collection Committee which is composed of museum leadership, staff, anthropologists, and students who have been comprehensively evaluating next steps for repatriation and reburial since last summer. The Committee’s report consists of an action plan and a fundamental community involvement. It also includes the resources required for implementation. “An initial phase of rigorous evaluation was critical for ensuring an ethical and respectful process around repair. As we move into implementation, the Museum will immediately begin the process of working with local communities to understand their wishes for repatriation”, explained Dr. Woods. 

(Image Credits: Twitter/@PennMuseum)