Smithsonian's 'Racial Brain Collection' Sparks Controversy

Institution faces backlash over collection of over 280 brains, many taken without consent, as calls for repatriation grow.

Smithsonian Institution's former anthropologist, Ales Hrdlicka, collected over 280 brains, many without consent, for a 'racial brain collection' in the early 20th century.
Many of the brains were taken from Black people, children, and people from institutions such as the city's almshouse.
Only five of the brains have been returned to families or cultural heirs, with the majority still held by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III has denounced the institution's prior practices and stated that it is his goal to repatriate as many human remains as possible.
A Smithsonian task force focused on human remains is expected to make recommendations soon.