S2.Ep-17-History Unveiled: Harvard University's Ties to Slavery

Join host Brittany Wilkins as she honors the legacy of the 70 individuals enslaved by Harvard University. In this episode of The Coin: Black History on the Other Side, we uncover Harvard's hidden history and its connection to slavery. How did Harvard rise to prominence and become one of the world's top educational institutions? Tune in to explore this untold story.

Transcript

Welcome to "The Coin: Black History on the Other Side" podcast, where we delve into untold or overlooked narratives of Black history. As your host, I aim to illuminate lesser-known aspects of Black history from across the globe. Today, we journey to Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to the prestigious Harvard University. Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, renowned for its excellence in teaching, research, and learning.

Did you know that between 1636 and 1783, over 70 individuals were enslaved by Harvard leaders, faculty, and staff? I wasn’t aware of this until I recently watched the documentary *Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery*.

How did Harvard become entangled in this history? It all began with English colonizers seizing lands from Indigenous people. Harvard, now home to the largest endowment in the world, owes some of its early growth to the institution of slavery. One prominent benefactor, Isaac Royall Sr., an investor in sugar plantations in Antigua, committed horrific acts of violence to maintain control over enslaved people—acts that included hangings and beheadings. Those who survived were brought to work on his estates in the Americas. Royall’s son, Isaac Royall Jr., later donated land to Harvard, which the university used to establish the first professorship in law, laying the foundation for Harvard Law School. Many of Harvard’s early benefactors generated their wealth through slavery, enabling Harvard to expand its infrastructure and rise to Ivy League status.

Blood money not only helped Harvard grow but also fueled a culture of systemic racism and inequality. Harvard Medical School, for instance, expelled three Black students, including the notable Martin Delany, simply because white students threatened to leave rather than accept desegregation. Leadership bowed to pressure rather than upholding the values of inclusion. At such a prestigious institution, we can assume high academic standards, but this decision suggests that racial bias, rather than merit, was at play.

W.E.B. Du Bois, was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard. Despite this achievement, he recalled feeling unwelcome, famously stating that he “went to Harvard but was not of Harvard.” Marginalized people then—and even now—often experience environments where they feel a profound lack of belonging. Can any of you listeners relate?

The horrors of slavery extended beyond plantations. The Boston Aquarial Gardens once displayed five African men taken from their homeland, labeling them “Wild African Savages.” One of these individuals, a 17-year-old named Sturman Yenghis, eventually took his own life. Instead of receiving a proper burial, his body was donated to Harvard, where it was dissected, and body casts were made, with his remains later displayed in Harvard’s museum. His body became a tool for teaching racial pseudoscience—an experiment intended to “prove” the inferiority of Black people.

Over time, what’s done in the dark inevitably comes to light. Harvard has taken steps toward accountability, but only after students protested and pushed for a committee to address the university’s historical ties to slavery. 

Changing logos, removing statues, and installing plaques can be steps toward reckoning with the past, but they do not erase trauma or heal generational scars. To honor the memory of those 70 ancestors, we must engage with our history to understand who we truly are beyond the chains.

Let’s continue this journey of discovery and change. Join us in unveiling new chapters of Black history and support our initiative by becoming a monthly subscriber. Together, we can reclaim and honor our history. Let's keep pushing.

Source:
https://timestamp.media/harvard-the-legacy-of-slavery/