The city of Philadelphia has issued a formal apology for allowing decades of "inhumane and horrific abuse" toward Black inmates through unethical medical experiments.
On Thursday (October 6), Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney apologized for experiments conducted by University of Pennsylvania researcher Dr. Albert Kligman on Black inmates at Holmesburg Prison from the 1950s through the 1970s.
In the apology, Kenney said the experiments exploited a vulnerable population, and he acknowledged how medical racism has impacted generations of Black Philadelphians.
"Without excuse, we formally and officially extend a sincere apology to those who were subjected to this inhumane and horrific abuse. We are also sorry it took far too long to hear these words," Kenney wrote.
Beginning in the 1950s, Kligman performed "dermatological, biochemical, and pharmaceutical experiments that intentionally exposed about 300 inmates to viruses, fungus, asbestos, and chemical agents including dioxin — a component of Agent Orange," the Associated Press reports.
The city said the experiments were predominately conducted on Black men who were awaiting trial, trying to save money for bail, and many of whom were illiterate.
Kligman, who went on to formulate the groundbreaking acne and wrinkle treatment Retin-A, died in 2010, but many of the inmates were left with lifelong scars and health issues due to his experiments.
A group of the inmates previously moved to sue the university and Kligman in 2000, but their lawsuit was thrown out because of a statute of limitations.
Community activists and families of the victims urged to city to issue a formal apology. It is one among a wave of apologies from cities across the nation reckoning with their history of racism following the killing of George Floyd.
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