Then there’s the not-so-rumored segregationist history of Skull and Bones. “Even though something might be legal, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t do the right thing,” Gonzales said, acknowledging nobody knows whether the skull in the Tomb is actually Geronimo’s. ![]() Their case was thrown out because the alleged theft occurred before 1990, the year federal law prohibited new finds and excavations of Indigenous cultural artifacts.īut nothing’s stopping the organization from addressing the history and returning the man’s skull, if they have it. A letter discovered in 2005 seemed to lend some truth to the claim, but the attorney representing the family said in 2009 that he had no hard evidence to back the suit. Geronimo’s family unsuccessfully sued the organization and Yale over it. In 1918, George W’s grandfather Prescott Bush, once a member, may or may not have helped steal Apache warrior Geronimo’s skull, which may or may not be in the Tomb. Bush are among the organization’s members, as are titans of industry, heads of banks, editors, writers and more.Īllegedly, members have to either remain silent or leave a room when asked whether they belong to the group. Presidents William Howard Taft, George H. Each year, 15 seniors are tapped to join. Skull and what?įounded in 1832, four decades before Colorado became a state, Skull and Bones is a group of Yale students and alums with their own building, the Tomb, on the Yale campus. That got Brough’s supporters trolling Johnston on social media, demanding transparency about whether he was actually a member and an apology about the supposedly secret society’s racist past. The New York Sun reporter shared a photo of the ledger with Johnston’s full name, date of birth and address. He holds bachelor and law degrees from Yale and a masters of education from Harvard.Īll that raises some doubt about the New York Sun headline: Was Johnston even in Skull and Bones? And if so, will he really not answer questions about it? Beaty/Denverite)įrom Vail to Yale, Johnston’s life has been full of privilege. Senate candidate Mike Johnston speaks during a vigil for victims of gun violence on the Capitol steps, Aug. The headline on the piece: “ Rising Democratic Star Mike Johnston Is a Populist Man of the People: Just Don’t Ask About His Membership in Yale’s Skull and Bones.” Last week, the New York Sun, a conservative-leaning online newspaper, published a story about how Johnston was a Bonesman. Gonzales said she would invite both candidates to explore the structural racism and histories of organizations they’ve participated in - and the city they hope to lead. That’s the group reconsidering the names of mountains and buildings that honor perpetrators of racist projects that shaped who is - and isn’t - thriving in the state. She’s a member of the Colorado Geographic Renaming Advisory Board. “Anyone who wants to lead and who has been a part of organizations that have an obviously problematic history, they have an obligation to acknowledge that history and to really thoughtfully look at that history,” said Nicki Gonzales, Colorado’s former state historian, a member of the State Historian’s Council and a Regis University professor. When Denverite asked more than 100 residents what they cared about from people running for office, they told us the following: housing and affordability, crime and public safety, education, environment, health and wellness and transportation. But when asked about the racist legacies of organizations they’ve been a part of - the Yale secret society Skull and Bones for Johnston and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for Brough - they each had to be pressed for a direct response. Mayoral finalists Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston see promise in Denver.
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