Bob Franklin made many attempts to find a fitting home for the heirloom, including offering it to the Smithsonian Institution. The museum declined the donation on the grounds that it doesn’t display human remains. Eventually Franklin entrusted the skull to the Breckinridges, who in turn donated it to Hatcher’s Civil Rights Hall of Fame project.

Hatcher added the relic to his collection of historical artifacts, including a pair of sunglasses from musician Stevie Wonder, and a shirt worn by performer Sammy Davis Jr. But deep inside he felt that Turner’s remains should be reunited with his descendants.

Aguirre and Wood, the guests of honor at the ceremony, shed “tears of joy” when they were handed what they believe are their ancestor’s remains.

“The legacy of Nat Turner has had enduring impact not simply upon our family, but upon American history,” Aguirre said. “Certainly, this fragile fragment holds enormous emotional value for me, for my family. But it is of immeasurable value because it is a poignant reminder of the price of freedom. In a very tangible way, it asserts the humanity of people who were systemically dehumanized. Its incredible existence demands acknowledgement that, yes, this black life mattered.”

This story is super interesting and more details can be read on Nat Geo here.

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