A Hard Historical Truth: Slavery Powerfully Shaped Harvard
Washington Post | Lawrence Bacow and Tomiko Brown-Nagin
Harvard President Bacow and Radcliffe Institute Dean Brown-Nagin disclose Harvard’s historical relationship with slavery and the path forward. “Today, we mark a new chapter by releasing a report that extensively documents the university’s entanglements with slavery and its legacies…. [announcing a $100 million commitment] “to draw on [Harvard’s] expertise in education to confront continuing inequities — tangible legacies of slavery.”
“The motto of Harvard — our university and America’s oldest — is Veritas, Latin for truth. Yet in recent years, the gap between the stated values of universities and the truth of these institutions’ histories has become glaringly apparent — never more so than when we consider their entanglements with slavery. Here is one such truth: Slavery powerfully shaped Harvard…”
“We now know that Harvard leaders, faculty and staff enslaved more than 70 people of African and Native American descent. Some of these enslaved people labored at and for the university, including in the households of Harvard presidents. Harvard’s ties to slavery and its legacies run deeper still: The labor of enslaved people enriched donors to the university, helping Harvard expand its infrastructure, grow its faculty and student body, and build its reputation. And prominent Harvard leaders and professors defended slavery, justified segregation, and promoted racial hierarchy and discrimination…”
“The question before us now is how best to reckon with these realities and atone for our past. Acknowledging the truth is not enough. We have a moral obligation to take action…All American institutions have before them the opportunity to participate in a bold reimagining of our nation, characterized by investment in human potential and a renewed commitment to the ideals of our nation’s founding.”
Related: Descendants and Advocates Seek Clarity in Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Pledge (5/28/22)
