Legacy of Slavery
Street in Harvard Arboretum to Be Renamed Flora Way After Enslaved Woman
Boston will rename Bussey Street — originally named after Benjamin Bussey, a merchant who donated the land for Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum and who amassed his fortune trading goods produced by enslaved individuals.
Garber Praises Harvard Legacy of Slavery Initiative at Radcliffe Anniversary
University President Alan M. Garber ’76 praised Harvard Radcliffe Institute Dean Tomiko Brown-Nagin for her leadership on the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative and his academic freedom working group at a Radcliffe event on Thursday.
Harvard Affiliates Enslaved Over 300 People, University Researchers Find
The Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program has identified more than 300 enslaved individuals who were owned by Harvard affiliates — a significantly higher figure than what the University initially disclosed in its 2022 report.
Infighting and Pressure From Above: Inside Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Initiative
The $100 million Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative is meant to redress the University’s historic ties to slavery. But over the last two years, the project has been hampered by internal tension, alleged pushback over its scope, and leadership turnover.
Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Initiative Announces New Memorial Committee Co-Chairs
Faculty of Arts and Sciences chief campus curator Brenda Tindal and Graduate School of Design professor Eric Höweler will serve as the new co-chairs of Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Memorial Project.
Executive Director of Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Initiative Suddenly Resigns
Roeshana Moore-Evans, the executive director of Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery initiative, suddenly announced her resignation on Friday, becoming the third member of leadership to cut ties with the effort in less than one month.
Co-Chairs of Harvard Legacy of Slavery Memorial Committee Slam University in Resignation Letter
The co-chairs of Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery memorial project committee slammed the University in their resignation letter, alleging that their timeline was rushed by administrators.
Chairs of Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Memorial Committee Resign Over Timeline Disagreement
Tracy K. Smith ’94 and Dan I. Byers resigned as co-chairs of Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery memorial committee over frustrations that senior Harvard administrators were trying to rush their process.
‘Appalling’: Keynote Speaker at Legacy of Slavery Symposium Calls for Faster Repatriation of Indigenous Remains
Tara Houska, a tribal attorney and activist who served as the keynote speaker during the second day of Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Symposium, condemned the University’s continued possession of Indigenous objects and ancestral remains during an interview following the event.
‘A Joke’: Nikole Hannah-Jones Says Harvard Should Spend More on Legacy of Slavery Initiative
Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and creator of the 1619 Project, slammed Harvard’s $100 million commitment to its Legacy of Slavery initiative as “a joke” during her keynote talk at a University symposium on Tuesday evening.
Harvard Professor Sean Kelly to Lead Committee Evaluating Request to Dename Winthrop House
A committee of Harvard faculty, chaired by Philosophy professor Sean D. Kelly, will review a request to dename Winthrop House submitted earlier this year.
Harvard Legacy of Slavery Initiative Launches Grant for Projects Co-Led by University Affiliates, Nonprofits
The Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative will offer annual funding up to $350,000 for long-term projects and $25,000 for smaller projects that address systemic inequities for descendants of slavery, the University announced Monday.
Indigenous Speakers Demand Harvard Return Human Remains at Radcliffe Conference
Speakers criticized Harvard for continuing to hold the human remains of thousands of Native Americans in its museum collections at a conference hosted by the Harvard University Native American Program and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study last week.
Harvard Affiliates Discuss Work of Legacy of Slavery Initiative at Cambridge Screening and Panel
Harvard affiliates spoke about the ongoing work of the University’s Legacy of Slavery report at a film screening and discussion hosted at the Cambridge Public Library Tuesday evening.
With Winthrop and Sackler, Harvard Faces Denaming Dilemma
Over the past few years, the Arthur M. Sackler Museum and Building, Winthrop House, and Mather House have all been subject to calls for denaming due to the legacies of their namesakes. Now, for the first time, the Univeristy is officially considering requests for renaming proposals, but students and alumni remain split on what should be done.
Middlesex Superior Court Greenlights Discovery in Suit Against Harvard Over Images of Enslaved People
A revived lawsuit filed by Tamara K. Lanier against Harvard over its possession of daguerreotypes she alleges are of her enslaved ancestors will proceed to discovery, a Massachusetts state judge ruled at a hearing last Thursday.
Harvard Honors Black Alum Edwin Jourdain Jr. With Portrait in Winthrop House
Harvard honored Edwin Bush Jourdain Jr., Class of 1921, a Black College graduate who led efforts to dismantle the University’s segregationist freshman dorm policy, with a portrait in Winthrop House’s Senior Common Room.
Harvard Divinity School Faculty Discuss Teaching the Legacy of Slavery
A panel of Harvard Divinity School faculty reflected on the school’s ties to slavery and its responsibility to educate the next generation of religious scholars and leaders in a webinar Monday evening.
Harvard Pledges $6 Million for Joint Project to Digitize African American History Collections at HBCUs
Harvard pledged $6 million to finance a project between Harvard Library and the HBCU Library Alliance that will digitize and preserve African American history collections held at historically Black colleges and universities, the University’s library system announced Wednesday morning.
Husband Descended From Slave-Trading Family and Wife Whose Ancestors Were Enslaved Speak at HDS Event
Dain Perry, a descendant of the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history, and Constance R. Perry, whose ancestors were enslaved, discussed reparations and the legacy of slavery at a Monday Harvard Divinity School webinar.
‘This is Not Who My Papa Renty is’: Tamara Lanier to Publish Book About Ancestral Research on Enslaved People
Tamara K. Lanier, who is currently pursuing an emotional distress lawsuit against the University for its possession of those images, is slated to publish a book about her genealogical research and the emotional journey involved in claiming ownership of the daguerreotypes.
Harvard Divinity School Professor Discusses Religion and the Movement for Reparations at HDS Webinar
Harvard Divinity School professor of African American Religious Studies Terrence L. Johnson discussed changing the conversation around reparations in a virtual lecture Monday evening.
Ruth Simmons Named Senior Adviser to the President of Harvard on Engagement with HBCUs
Harvard University President Lawrence S. Bacow will appoint outgoing Prairie View A&M University President Ruth J. Simmons as a senior adviser to the president of Harvard on engagement with historically Black colleges and universities, the school announced Monday morning.
Harvard Students Demonstrate for Denaming in Winthrop House Dining Hall, Citing Ties to Slavery
Harvard students led a demonstration in Winthrop House’s dining hall to push for the house’s denaming during dinner on Sunday, citing both John Winthrops’ ties to slavery.
Harvard Students Circulate Petition Calling for Denaming of Winthrop House, Named After Slaveowners
Almost a year after Harvard released a landmark report detailing the University’s ties to slavery, student activists are calling for the denaming of Winthrop House.