And at Brown University in Rhode Island, a committee is examining the school’s historic ties to the slave trade and recommending whether and how the college should take responsibility. A report on the findings is due by the end of the fall semester.
“We clearly do live in a society that has a persistent pattern of racial disparity, and I think most people would agree that that has something to do with our history,” says Dr. James T. Campbell, a history professor at Brown and the chairman of the committee. “If you care about that pattern of disparity, then it seems to me one of the things that is incumbent on you is to try to find out how we got here.”
Just how many schools have ties to the slave trade remains unknown, since so much information has been concealed, says Harvard law professor Charles J. Ogletree Jr. But he says those found to have had links to slavery should pay reparations.
In the business world, some banks and financial services firms have conducted similar investigations, often to comply with demands from local governments. In some cases, the corporations have made financial donations after uncovering their ties to the slave trade.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia Corp. committed an undisclosed sum to support Black history education a few days after announcing that two of its predecessor banks owned slaves. New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co. gave $5 million to support college scholarships for Black students in Louisiana, where two of its predecessor banks received thousands of slaves as collateral.
At North Carolina, the university has made several efforts to recognize the school’s links to slavery. A class is offered on the history of Blacks at the school. A monument, to be dedicated next month, was installed last May that honors enslaved and free Blacks who helped build the school.
— Associated Press
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