Latest news with #Dillard
USA Today
2 days ago
- Science
- USA Today
Skulls of 19 Black people returned to New Orleans after 150 years
Skulls of 19 Black people returned to New Orleans after 150 years Dillard University will hold a ceremony to honor 19 Black people whose remains were wrongfully taken from Louisiana to Germany in the late 1800s for racist scientific research. The university received the individuals' skulls last week from the University of Leipzig, where they had been housed for more than 150 years. On May 31, each of the 19 people – some of whom were born in New Orleans or had only been in the city for days or weeks – will be honored in a historic memorial and jazz funeral. Each of the individuals had died in New Orleans' Charity Hospital in the early 1870s. Their skulls were removed and brought to Leipzig for research centered on a pseudo-science that sought to prove the racial superiority of white people by analyzing skulls. Such "research" was practiced in the U.S. and used in the Antebellum South to justify slavery. Monique Guillory, the president of Dillard University, one of two historically Black colleges and universities in Louisiana, said at a news conference that the memorial service will be about "confronting a dark chapter in medical and scientific history, and choosing instead a path of justice, honor and remembrance." The individuals were "stripped of their dignity" and subjected to a "colonial scientific practice rooted in racism and exploitation," Guillory said. "They were people with names. They were people with stories and histories," she added. "Some of them had families – mothers, fathers, daughters, sons. They were human beings, not specimens, not numbers." How did Dillard University get the remains back? The process to bring home the remains began about two years ago and involved Dillard, the Louisiana Department of Justice, the city of New Orleans, the University of Leipzig and other community organizations. Dillard University took up the charge and formed a Cultural Repatriation Committee, which focused on planning a honorary service and researching the lives of the individuals in an attempt to locate their descendants, said Eva Baham, a retired Dillard professor who led the committee. With a list of names provided by the city of Leipzig, Baham said she and and a small working group began scouring historical records. Their biggest break came when they searched through archives at the public library and discovered most of their names in the records of New Orleans' Charity Hospital. The group found that the individuals had died between December 1871 and January 1872, Baham said at a news conference. The records also provided vital information about their background, including where they were born and how long they had been in New Orleans. "We have people who were here in New Orleans from one hour in 1871, one day, a week, two months," she said. "Ten of the 19 individuals were in New Orleans less than six years." Baham also noted that most of them arrived in New Orleans after the Civil War, which ended in 1865. Only two were lifelong New Orleans residents, making it difficult for the group to find descendants. "We were not able, at this time, to connect them solidly to certain places, addresses," she said. "Searching for the descendants is not impossible but highly improbable within a certain amount of time." 'Now they are home' As they researched the history of the 19 individuals, the committee forged ahead and planned a memorial service and jazz funeral – a traditional New Orleans procession that features a brass band. "We are not talking about them as if they're skeletal remains," Baham said. "We want to honor them by calling them the individuals that they are." The university listed their names as Adam Grant, Isaak Bell, Hiram Smith, William Pierson, Henry Williams, John Brown, Hiram Malone, William Roberts, Alice Brown, Prescilla Hatchet, Marie Louise, Mahala, Samuel Prince, John Tolman, Henry Allen, Moses Willis and Henry Anderson. Two of them have not been identified. Last week, Dillard University received the remains from Leipzig and held a brief, solemn ceremony at a local funeral home where the committee members read aloud what was known about each of the 19 people – where they were born, where they have lived and when they arrived in New Orleans. Along with last week's ceremony, the upcoming funeral will be a "homecoming and a final home going" in typical New Orleans fashion, Guillory said. "These people mattered," she said. "They belonged here, and now they are home."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
19 Black Americans' skulls return to New Orleans after 150 years for memorial service
More than 150 years after their heads were severed from their bodies and shipped to Germany for 'research,' the craniums of 19 Black people, which were recently returned, will be memorialized Saturday during a sacred ceremony in New Orleans. Dillard University President Monique Guillory said during a news conference Wednesday that the memorial will be 'about confronting a dark chapter in medical and scientific history while choosing a path of justice, honor and remembrance.' Those who will be honored had died in the city's Charity Hospital in 1872. Their heads were severed and shipped to Leipzig University in Germany to be studied — a common practice at the time, as researchers sought to confirm their unfounded theory that Black people's brains were smaller than those of other races, therefore making them inferior. 'They were stripped of their dignity,' Guillory said, over 'a practice rooted in racism and exploitation. They were people with names. They were people with stories and histories. Some of them had families, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, human beings.' They were not specimens, she continued, 'not numbers.' The heads were returned to New Orleans about a week ago following a two-year journey, according to Eva Baham, a retired Dillard professor. Representatives from Leipzig contacted the city in 2023 about their existence in Germany, where the university houses a skull collection dating back to the 1800s. The school is in the process of repatriating or sending back skulls to their original locations. That initial call set in motion the creation of the Cultural Repatriation Committee, led by Baham. 'We are not talking about them as if they are skeletal remains,' Baham said at the news conference. 'We want to honor them by calling them the individuals that they are.' Dillard, one of two historically Black universities in New Orleans, along with Xavier University of Louisiana, welcomed the opportunity to be part of 'this very sensitive acknowledgment of our people, that they are here,' Guillory told NBC News. A visitation will take place Saturday at Dillard's Lawless Memorial Chapel with a service. Laid to rest will be the remains of Adam Grant, Isaak Bell, Hiram Smith, William Pierson, Henry Williams, John Brown, Hiram Malone, William Roberts, Alice Brown, Prescilla Hatchet, Marie Louise, Mahala, Samuel Prince, John Tolman, Henry Allen, Moses Willis and Henry Anderson. The remains of two other people could not be identified. The committee tried in vain for two years to contact descendants of the victims, but had no success. They did learn some information, Baham said, and found their names listed in municipal death records almost in succession. 'In those records list what they died from, how long they had been in New Orleans,' she said. 'We have people who were here in New Orleans from one hour in 1871, one day, a week, two months. And that's all very important.' Guillory told NBC News that the service will be a New Orleans expression of respect. 'We will do so in the most sacred way that we know how in our beloved city, in a true New Orleans fashion, with a jazz funeral that shows the world that these people mattered,' she said. 'We have a very different relationship with death here, and a very different relationship with what we believe is the spirit and our ancestors. And now they are home. And so, this is particularly poignant for people in New Orleans.' When the opportunity arose, there were questions from people in the academic and local community, Guillory said, about why the parties involved would welcome their return. But the city, University Medical Center New Orleans, Dillard University and other entities did not blink. 'There's certain sensitivity to the material, to the macabre, somber nature of what we're talking about,' Guillory said. 'There was also a lot of uncertainty about whether we could actually bring them here. Should we bring them here? Who should be responsible for bringing them here? Why bring them back? And I think the committee itself had been very confident and convinced that this was the right thing to do.' The remains will be stored at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial. 'We want that day to be not only of remembrance, but of reckoning and renewal,' Guillory said, 'and may we never forget them.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- NBC News
19 Black Americans' skulls return to New Orleans after 150 years for memorial service
More than 150 years after their heads were severed from their bodies and shipped to Germany for 'research,' the craniums of 19 Black people, which were recently returned, will be memorialized Saturday during a sacred ceremony in New Orleans. Dillard University President Monique Guillory said during a news conference Wednesday that the memorial will be 'about confronting a dark chapter in medical and scientific history while choosing a path of justice, honor and remembrance.' Those who will be honored had died in the city's Charity Hospital in 1872. Their heads were severed and shipped to Leipzig University in Germany to be studied — a common practice at the time, as researchers sought to confirm their unfounded theory that Black people's brains were smaller than those of other races, therefore making them inferior. 'They were stripped of their dignity,' Guillory said, over 'a practice rooted in racism and exploitation. They were people with names. They were people with stories and histories. Some of them had families, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, human beings.' They were not specimens, she continued, 'not numbers.' The heads were returned to New Orleans about a week ago following a two-year journey, according to Eva Baham, a retired Dillard professor. Representatives from Leipzig contacted the city in 2023 about their existence in Germany, where the university houses a skull collection dating back to the 1800s. The school is in the process of repatriating or sending back skulls to their original locations. That initial call set in motion the creation of the Cultural Repatriation Committee, led by Baham. 'We are not talking about them as if they are skeletal remains,' Baham said at the news conference. 'We want to honor them by calling them the individuals that they are.' Dillard, one of two historically Black universities in New Orleans, along with Xavier University of Louisiana, welcomed the opportunity to be part of 'this very sensitive acknowledgment of our people, that they are here,' Guillory told NBC News. A visitation will take place Saturday at Dillard's Lawless Memorial Chapel with a service. Laid to rest will be the remains of Adam Grant, Isaak Bell, Hiram Smith, William Pierson, Henry Williams, John Brown, Hiram Malone, William Roberts, Alice Brown, Prescilla Hatchet, Marie Louise, Mahala, Samuel Prince, John Tolman, Henry Allen, Moses Willis and Henry Anderson. The remains of two other people could not be identified. The committee tried in vain for two years to contact descendants of the victims, but had no success. They did learn some information, Baham said, and found their names listed in municipal death records almost in succession. 'In those records list what they died from, how long they had been in New Orleans,' she said. 'We have people who were here in New Orleans from one hour in 1871, one day, a week, two months. And that's all very important.' Guillory told NBC News that the service will be a New Orleans expression of respect. 'We will do so in the most sacred way that we know how in our beloved city, in a true New Orleans fashion, with a jazz funeral that shows the world that these people mattered,' she said. 'We have a very different relationship with death here, and a very different relationship with what we believe is the spirit and our ancestors. And now they are home. And so, this is particularly poignant for people in New Orleans.' When the opportunity arose, there were questions from people in the academic and local community, Guillory said, about why the parties involved would welcome their return. But the city, University Medical Center New Orleans, Dillard University and other entities did not blink. 'There's certain sensitivity to the material, to the macabre, somber nature of what we're talking about,' Guillory said. 'There was also a lot of uncertainty about whether we could actually bring them here. Should we bring them here? Who should be responsible for bringing them here? Why bring them back? And I think the committee itself had been very confident and convinced that this was the right thing to do.' The remains will be stored at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial. 'We want that day to be not only of remembrance, but of reckoning and renewal,' Guillory said, 'and may we never forget them.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Kohl's (KSS) Reports Earnings Tomorrow: What To Expect
Department store chain Kohl's (NYSE:KSS) will be reporting results tomorrow before market hours. Here's what you need to know. Kohl's met analysts' revenue expectations last quarter, reporting revenues of $5.40 billion, down 9.4% year on year. It was a slower quarter for the company, with full-year EPS guidance missing analysts' expectations significantly and a significant miss of analysts' EPS estimates. Is Kohl's a buy or sell going into earnings? Read our full analysis here, it's free. This quarter, analysts are expecting Kohl's revenue to decline 5.4% year on year to $3.2 billion, in line with the 5.3% decrease it recorded in the same quarter last year. Adjusted loss is expected to come in at -$0.22 per share. Analysts covering the company have generally reconfirmed their estimates over the last 30 days, suggesting they anticipate the business to stay the course heading into earnings. Looking at Kohl's peers in the general merchandise retail segment, some have already reported their Q1 results, giving us a hint as to what we can expect. Dillard's revenues decreased 1.6% year on year, meeting analysts' expectations, and Ross Stores reported revenues up 2.6%, topping estimates by 0.5%. Dillard's traded up 8.1% following the results while Ross Stores was down 9.8%. Read our full analysis of Dillard's results here and Ross Stores's results here. There has been positive sentiment among investors in the general merchandise retail segment, with share prices up 11.4% on average over the last month. Kohl's is up 16.1% during the same time and is heading into earnings with an average analyst price target of $9.16 (compared to the current share price of $7.92). Here at StockStory, we certainly understand the potential of thematic investing. Diverse winners from Microsoft (MSFT) to Alphabet (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO) to Monster Beverage (MNST) could all have been identified as promising growth stories with a megatrend driving the growth. So, in that spirit, we've identified a relatively under-the-radar profitable growth stock benefiting from the rise of AI, available to you FREE via this link. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Indianapolis Star
21-05-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Lawless: Inmate says police, prosecutors used bogus witnesses to falsely charge him
ELKHART, Ind. — Christopher Thomas left a trail of blood as he staggered and fell on the ground outside his motel room. As he lay face down, wearing only a pair of shorts and a wristwatch, several more bullets pierced the left side of his head. The former U.S. Marine who spiraled into crack addiction died from one gunshot wound to the chest and at least four to the head. Thomas had been a confidential informant for the Elkhart County Drug Task Force for 10 months leading up to his shooting Aug. 19, 1998. He'd helped narcotics detectives by conducting nearly 100 drug buys that incriminated dozens of cocaine dealers. The murder of Thomas remained unsolved for several months. Investigators had no murder weapon, no fingerprints and no evidence pointing to a suspect. Early eyewitness descriptions of the gunman indicated only that he was a tall, thin Black man who wore dark clothing. But in early 1999, Elkhart detectives zeroed in on two suspects. Police and prosecutors alleged that Reginald Dillard and Eddie Fredrick, two drug dealers from Michigan, carried out the murder under orders from a local kingpin who wanted Thomas dead for working with the police. A jury convicted them the following year. Dillard proclaimed his innocence during his trial and at the sentencing hearing. "We didn't kill the man," Dillard said. "I didn't kill nobody." The witnesses, the police and the prosecutors all lied, he said. "Everybody." The men both received the maximum sentence of 65 years in prison, where Fredrick died in 2005. Dillard, however, is back in court armed with what he and a team of attorneys contend is new evidence the case against him and Fredrick was built on fabricated statements from fake witnesses. Among their allegations, detailed in a 273-page petition challenging Dillard's conviction: The prosecution's star witness, a woman who said she saw the murder, was not there when Thomas was shot. Instead, they say, she was a false informant tapped to incriminate Dillard and Fredrick by a detective with whom she was having sex. Prosecutors also arranged favorable plea deals for other witnesses in exchange for fabricated testimonies, Dillard and his attorneys allege. One of these witnesses now claims in an affidavit that he lied because detectives forced him to incriminate Dillard and Fredrick. As investigators focused on the two men, they failed to investigate other potential suspects with motives to kill Thomas, Dillard's petition alleges. One of those who was not investigated was a drug dealer who, days before Thomas was killed, called him a "marked man" for being an informant. Another was a drug dealer whose wife told investigators she helped get rid of shell casings and gun parts tied to the murder weapon. Elkhart police have used false evidence to convict innocent people before. Elliot Slosar, a Chicago civil rights attorney who represents Dillard, has alleged the same types of misconduct — the use of fabricated testimonies, the reliance on jailhouse informants and the coercion or manipulation of witnesses — in several other cases. So far, six people have had their convictions overturned in the Northern Indiana city of a little over 53,000. It's the highest per capita in Indiana and 5th in the country. Four of these people have reached multimillion-dollar settlements — totaling nearly $31 million — with city and county officials to resolve allegations they were framed by police and prosecutors. A new IndyStar investigation revealed that a group of Elkhart police officers known as the Wolverines abused their power in the 1980s and 1990s, cloaking themselves in a code of silence and operating with impunity. The Wolverines climbed the ranks. Some became detectives. One of the former detectives Dillard accused of helping harass and coerce a witness into testifying was among the Wolverines. Elkhart County Prosecutor Vicki Becker, a longtime prosecutor who was elected to lead the agency in 2016, declined to comment citing trial rules prohibiting attorneys from making public statements about pending cases. But she has previously rejected broad allegations of misconduct by Elkhart law enforcement. Becker was not one of the prosecutors in Dillard's murder case. Slosar has three other wrongful conviction claims pending in Elkhart County courts. The four cases are set for a three-day hearing in Elkhart County beginning May 21. "All these clients we have were framed by the same people in the same way," Slosar told a class last year at Notre Dame Law School, where he's an adjunct professor. These clients, he said, were "disposable in the eyes of the people who framed them." Dillard, the oldest of five children from Detroit, dropped out of high school. He remembers telling an ex-girlfriend that he was "tired of being broke," so he turned to selling drugs. In 1995, he began taking his business to Elkhart and later came to know and sell drugs to Thomas. Four years later, he was arrested for killing Thomas, a crime Dillard said he could not have committed because it happened when he was in Detroit. This account of Thomas' murder, the ensuing investigation and prosecution, and the impact of the misconduct Dillard alleged is based on police reports, court depositions, trial transcripts, witness affidavits, personnel records, letters, notes and interviews. Tricia Mock had been up for several days and nights, binging on alcohol and crack cocaine. On the sixth night, Mock told police, she was in a drug house where she often saw Dillard and Fredrick. She'd known them for months. They saw her as their little money maker, she told police. She brought them people who wanted to buy drugs, or she gave them cash she'd made from prostituting herself in the streets. In return, they supplied her drug habit. Dillard received a call at some point that night, Mock told police. "It will be done tonight," she claimed to have heard Dillard tell the person on the other line. Then, Mock said Dillard told her she was coming with him and Fredrick to carry out the task. They left the drug house in a blue sedan and arrived at Three Point Motel, where Thomas was staying. By then, according to Mock, the two men had filled her in on the plan: The order to kill Thomas came from another drug dealer who'd called Dillard and wanted Thomas dead for working with the police. Mock's job, she said, was to lure Thomas to the door. Fredrick and Mock got out of the car and walked to Thomas' room. After Mock knocked, Thomas cracked open the door but kept the chain attached, she told police. Fredrick, who Mock said was standing next to her, kicked the door open and walked in. "Surprise," he told Thomas, according to Mock. Thomas immediately bolted out of the room, leaving Fredrick and Mock inside. He turned left and then went back and ran in the opposite direction. That's when Mock heard the first gunshot, she told police. She assumed Dillard, who was outside, fired it. Fredrick came out of the room and walked toward Thomas, who was lying face down on the ground, and shot him a few more times in the head, Mock told police. Then, they went back to the car and drove away. Dillard and his attorneys allege Mock's account was pure fiction. They point to two eyewitnesses who lived in trailers near the motel and had a view of Thomas' room from their windows. Both said they saw Thomas run out of his room, chased by a thin and tall Black man who shot him multiple times in the head. Both said the gunman ran off and didn't drive away in a car, as Mock told police. Neither said they saw a woman that night. Neither were called to testify for the state. Instead, Dillard and his attorneys allege, police and prosecutors settled on a false story made possible by a detective with a long history of troubling behavior. To read the rest of this story, click here.
