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Smithsonian's 'Racial Brain' Collection Is In An Investigative Series… (By: Nahlah Abdur-Rahman) https://www.blackenterprise.com/smithsonia...

For decades, the Smithsonian has had a collection of human brains. Hidden from public view, the collection contains more than 200 brains; most were taken from Indigenous and Black people without consent.

The Smithsonian collection of “racial brains” reveals the museum’s quest to study and compare certain elements, such as cognitive abilities, based on race.

The Washington Post has launched an investigative series into the grisly collection.

It has uncovered the process where the national museum authorized and funded the removal of the brains of minorities from morgues, burial grounds, and hospitals.

While most of the organs were taken in the 1940s, the Smithsonian acquired these body parts without the consent of the deceased families.

The process exploited individuals of marginalized and/or indigenous backgrounds, taking advantage of this lack of agency and disenfranchisement for scientific pursuits.

According to the Post, even though the collection became public knowledge, the museum has not prioritized returning the stolen organs to their rightful burial sites or families. The news outlet found that only four brains have been returned, as a formal request is required to begin the process.

Federal officials have ordered that Native Americans whose deceased family members’ brains were used have to be notified, leaving the many Black and other ethnic participants’ families to make inquiries on their own.

To address the looming controversy, Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, the first Black person to lead the institute, issued a statement apologizing on behalf of the museum for its conduct in the organ retrieval process.

“I know that so much of this has been based on racist attitudes, that these brains were really people of color to demonstrate the superiority of White brains, so I understand that is just really unconscionable,” expressed Bunch. “And I think it’s important for me as a historian to say that all the remains, all the brains, need to be returned if possible, [and] treated in the best possible way.”

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RELATED Research CONTENT: Smithsonian’s New Ethical Returns Policy Will Have Looted and Unethically Obtained Artwork Returned to Rightful Owners https://www.blackenterprise.com/smithsonia...

On Tuesday, The Smithsonian Institution announced a new policy that will have artwork that was looted or unethically procured returned to its rightful owners.

The museum’s new “ethical returns policy” will allow the Smithsonian to repatriate items acquired through means considered unethical by modern standards, The Art Newspaper reports.

The policy will allow each of the institution’s 21 locations to decide how to handle artwork obtained through unethical acquisitions.

“CIRCUMSTANCES DEMONSTRATING UNETHICAL ACQUISITION MAY INCLUDE ITEMS THAT WERE STOLEN, TAKEN UNDER DURESS OR REMOVED WITHOUT CONSENT OF THE OWNER,” SMITHSONIAN SAID IN A STATEMENT.

The new policy seemingly combats the age-old practice many museums have held on to that allows them to claim rightful ownership of items in their holding.

“My goal was very simple: Smithsonian will be the place people point to, to say ‘This is how we should share our collections and think about ethical returns,’” Lonnie G. Bunch III, the Smithsonian’s secretary, told the New York Times.

“The Smithsonian is this amazing wonder—this gift not just to the country but to the world. It’s really important that we provide leadership.”

The decision comes after the Smithsonian agreed to return its collection of Benin Bronzes to Nigeria in March, NPR reports.

Some pieces under review to return include pottery in the National Museum of Natural History that was sourced from a dig site in Turkey and dates back to the ancient city of Troy. Another piece includes a photo of a Black jazz musician in the National Museum of American History that many researchers “do not like the history of the photo,” a spokesperson said.

“When we talk about the shared stewardship of collections, what we are really talking about is a change of both scholarly practice and philosophy,” Kevin Gover, the Smithsonian’s Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, said.

“We seek to share what we know of our collections and to learn from the communities of origin in a collaborative exchange of knowledge.”

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The Smithsonian is apologizing for how it amassed its vast collection of human remains: (By Harmeet Kaur, #CNN https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/22/us/smithson...