Ota Benga, a Congolese man who had been exhibited in the Bronx Zoo’s Monkey House in 1906 alongside primates, died by suicide. Benga, a Mbuti man, was brought to the U.S. under false pretenses and displayed as a so-called “missing link” in a disturbing example of scientific racism. His treatment sparked protests from Black clergy and activists at the time. After years of trauma and cultural dislocation, Benga ended his life in Virginia, where he had struggled to build a new identity. His story remains a haunting symbol of dehumanization and racial injustice.
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