Historians and scholars shed light on how universities benefited from slavery at a recent conference that drew hundreds to Radcliffe’s Knafel Center.
The day-long event, held March 3, 2017 and sponsored by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, featured discussions, remarks, and poetry readings from academicians, scholars, and administrators who explored how Harvard and other universities are now beginning to confront their uncomfortable pasts. Keynote speaker was journalist and author Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Harvard President Drew Faust gave opening remarks and discussed issues of slavery and reparations on stage with Coates after his keynote. According to Faust, Harvard was complicit in slavery from the 17th century until the practice ended in Massachusetts in 1783. Even after that, the University maintained financial ties to the slave-holding South through the Civil War period.
The event was webcast live at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Kresge Cafeteria. During the lunch break, Dean Michelle Williams offered reflections, and Nancy Krieger, professor of social epidemiology, led a community discussion.
Read a Harvard Gazette article about the conference: Probing how colleges benefited from slavery