Legacy of Slavery
Initiative to Digitize Records of Slave Trade Will Move to Harvard
A nearly six-decades old initiative to digitize records of the trans-Atlantic and intra-American slave trades is moving to Harvard’s Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, the University announced earlier this month.
American Ancestors Takes Over Harvard Descendant Research After Layoffs
Since January, the genealogical nonprofit American Ancestors has led the effort to identify the descendants of people enslaved by Harvard faculty, staff, and leadership — taking over the project entirely after the University laid off its internal research team.
Harvard Outsourced Its Slavery Research. Then a Former Employee Began Notifying Descendants — Without Its Knowledge.
After Harvard outsourced efforts to identify the people enslaved by University affiliates and their descendants, the work has continued elsewhere, led by nonprofits, universities — and a rogue researcher.
‘Writing Crime into Blackness and Anti-Blackness into Law’: Devon Carbado Delivers Annual HLS Belinda Sutton Lecture
New York University law professor Devon W. Carbado discussed the “afterlife” of chattel slavery at the annual Belinda Sutton Distinguished Lecture at Harvard Law School Tuesday.
Tamara Lanier Decries University’s Refusal To Turn Over Daguerreotypes in Book Talk
Tamara K. Lanier, who is suing Harvard for emotional distress over its possession of daguerreotypes of her enslaved ancestors, repeated her demand for Harvard to return the photographs and admonished the University for allegedly failing to reckon with its legacy of slavery at a Tuesday talk.
‘No Limit on the Research’: Bleich Defends Legacy of Slavery Initiative After Resignations, Layoffs
Vice Provost for Special Projects Sara N. Bleich forcefully defended Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Initiative in a Friday interview following departures from the initiative and criticism of the University’s decision to outsource the research of its Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program.
Antiguan Ambassador Condemns Slavery Remembrance Program Layoffs, Demands Reparations in Letter to Garber
Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the United States, Ronald M. Sanders, condemned Harvard’s decision to lay off the staff of the Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program, urging the University to step up its reparative efforts in a Tuesday letter to University President Alan M. Garber ’76.
Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program Identified 913 Enslaved People, 403 Living Descendants Before Layoffs
The Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative identified at least 913 individuals enslaved by Harvard faculty, staff, and leadership and at least 403 of their living descendants, according to an internal report from December.
Harvard Professor Vincent Brown Quits Legacy of Slavery Memorial Committee After University Lays Off Research Team
Harvard professor Vincent A. Brown resigned from a committee within the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative on Monday, condemning the University’s decision to lay off Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program staff in a scathing resignation letter.
Harvard Outsources Program to Identify Descendants of Those Enslaved by University Affiliates, Lays Off Internal Staff
Harvard on Thursday laid off the staff of the Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program, the unit of its $100 million Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative tasked with identifying descendants of those enslaved by Harvard affiliates.
In Antigua and Barbuda, Legacy of Slavery Initiative Identifies Hundreds More Enslaved by Harvard Affiliates
Researchers met with Prime Minister Gaston A. Browne and Governor General Rodney E.L. Williams of Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday to discuss identifying descendants of people enslaved by Harvard affiliates in the island nation.
Ten Stories That Shaped 2024
At Harvard, 2024 began with an ending — the chaotic close of Claudine Gay’s short-lived presidency. It would not be a quiet year. Pro-Palestine student protesters staged an encampment in Harvard Yard. Congress expanded its investigation into campus antisemitism, issuing threats alongside blistering reports. Amid it all, Alan M. Garber ’76 quietly ascended from the interim presidency to a permanent post at Harvard’s helm. Here, The Crimson looks back at 10 stories that shaped the University, and Cambridge, in 2024.
‘Opportunity to Experiment’: Visiting HBCU Scholars Praise Harvard’s Visiting Professorship Program
Four visiting professors from historically Black colleges and universities praised Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Visiting Professorship Program for offering the opportunity and funding to explore their scholarly work.
What’s Next for Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Initiative?
When the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative’s Remembrance Program identified more than 100 living descendants of enslaved people owned by University affiliates, it marked just the beginning of what will likely be a yearslong process to engage and support those descendants.
The Fight to Preserve Harriet Jacobs’ Legacy in Cambridge
A historical preservation committee wants to maintain the home of a formerly enslaved woman as a memorial and museum. The owner wants to build a boutique hotel. It’s a tenuous marriage.
Harvard Arnold Arboretum Renames Bussey Street to Flora Way in Honor of Enslaved Woman
Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum formally renamed Bussey Street — named after a merchant whose wealth came from slave-produced goods — to Flora Way at an unveiling ceremony Saturday.
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.