The Legacy of Slavery at Harvard: Report and Recommendations of the Presidential Committee

Harvard's searing indictment of its long-standing relationship with chattel slavery and anti-Black discrimination, reveals its deep ties to Black and Indigenous bondage, scientific racism, segregation, and other forms of oppression. The report, written by leading researchers, highlights the university's financial and reputation benefits from donations by slaveholders and its involvement in race science and eugenics. Despite abolitionists and pioneering Black thinkers, the past casts a long shadow on the present.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 27 September 2022
Publisher: Harvard University Press

Harvard University's damning indictment of its own longstanding association with chattel slavery and anti-Black discrimination is a searing and sobering examination of its history. In recent years, scholars have uncovered extensive connections between American higher education and slavery, adding Harvard University to the growing list of institutions in both the North and the South that have been entangled with this painful legacy. The Legacy of Slavery at Harvard, a comprehensive report authored by leading researchers from across the university, unveils hard truths about Harvard's deep ties to Black and Indigenous bondage, scientific racism, segregation, and other forms of oppression.

Between the university's founding in 1636 and 1783, when slavery was officially abolished in Massachusetts, Harvard leaders, faculty, and staff enslaved at least seventy individuals, some of whom worked on campus, providing care for students, faculty, and university presidents. Harvard also profited financially and reputationally from donations by slaveholders, slave traders, and others whose fortunes were tied to human chattel. Furthermore, Harvard professors and the graduates they trained played pivotal roles in the promotion of so-called race science and eugenics, which advocated for the disinvestment in Black lives through forced sterilization, residential segregation, and educational discrimination.

It is important to note that no institution of Harvard's scale and longevity can be considered a monolith. While Harvard was home to abolitionists and pioneering Black thinkers and activists such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Charles Hamilton Houston, and Eva Beatrice Dykes, the university's history cannot be divorced from its past. Harvard's motto, Veritas, inscribed on gates, doorways, and sculptures throughout campus, serves as an exhortation to pursue truth.

However, the legacy of slavery and its impact on Harvard cannot be ignored. The report highlights the ongoing struggles faced by Black and Indigenous students and faculty at the university, who continue to face systemic racism and discrimination. It calls for a more comprehensive and honest examination of Harvard's history, including the role of its alumni and trustees in perpetuating these systems of oppression.

In conclusion, Harvard University's Legacy of Slavery at Harvard serves as a powerful reminder of the university's complex and troubling history. It highlights the need for continued dialogue, reflection, and action to address the ongoing legacies of slavery and discrimination and to create a more inclusive and equitable institution for all.

Dimension: 210 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780674292406