Hyperpixel connection and OS

Thanks for the compliment.
If I was going to try and remove it, I think I would cut the plastic part off first with my dremel. So all the pins are then separate. Being very careful not to touch the hyper pixel board. Then I’d unsolder the metal bits one pin at a time.
I do believe the normal way to remove SMT components is with a heat gun. And that would normally be small single components or a chip. Not a big long header.
Another option is to just leave it there, and solder your wires to the visible solder pads on the board.