The Harvard Crimson THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
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VOLUMECXLIX, NO. 64 |
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
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MONDAY, MAY 2, 2022
Where Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Lives Today STOUGHTON HALL
By CARA J. CHANG, ISABELLA B. CHO, ELLA L. JONES, and MONIQUE I. VOBECKY
FORMER SITE OF FOXCROFT HALL
BRATTLE STREET
CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
Harvard’s campus is replete with the names of prominent historical figures who were essential to the development of the University and Massachusetts. These individuals and their generational legacies are honored through plaques, professorships, buildings, and streets that form the face of Harvard. But many last names familiar to any Harvard student are also associated with a darker legacy. A landmark University report released last week found that at least 41 prominent Harvard affiliates enslaved Black and Indigenous people — and many others propagated discrimination and racism through their leadership and scholarship at the University. The report, produced by the University’s Presidential Commission on the Legacy of Slavery, identified more than 70 Black and Indigenous people enslaved by Harvard faculty, staff, and leaders — some of whom lived and worked on campus. Its appendix included a list of known slave owners, detailing how they are memorialized on campus. See Page 6 for the houses, dormitories, professorships, streets, and towns that memorialize the legacy of slavery and discrimination at Harvard.
PERKINS ROOM WILLIAM BRATTLE HOUSE
WADSWORTH HOUSE SITE OF BORDMAN HOME
BRATTLE SQUARE
WIGGLESWORTH HALL
HOLYOKE STREET & WINTHROP STREET
TROWBRIDGE STREET
WINTHROP HOUSE LEVERETT HOUSE
MATHER HOUSE
SEE PAGE 6
PHOTOS BY JULIAN J. GIORDANO, CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER. DESIGN BY CAMILLE G. CALDERA, CRIMSON DESIGNER. MAP BY MAP TILER AND OPEN STREET MAP CONTRIBUTERS.
Estabine and Johnson to Lead HUA Black Arts Colletive
Hosts Tracy K. Smith
By J. SELLERS HILL CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
LyLena D. Estabine ’24 and Travis Allen Johnson ’24 will serve as the first co-presidents of the newly-formed Harvard Undergraduate Association, the body’s election commission announced Saturday. After students voted overwhelmingly to dissolve Harvard’s 40-year-old Undergraduate Council last month, six tickets entered the race to serve as the first co-presidents of the new student government. Seven of the 12 candidates formerly served in the UC. Estabine, a Sociology concentrator, and Johnson, a Government concentrator, both previously served on the UC as representatives from Lowell House and Winthrop House, respectively. Both supported the effort to dissolve and replace the UC.
SEE HUA PAGE 3
By VIVI E. LU CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
LyLena D. Estabine ’24 and Travis Allen Johnson ’24, pictured on the steps of Widener Library, were elected co-presidents of the Harvard Undergraduate Association. PHOTO COURTESY LYLENA D. ESTABINE & TRAVIS ALLEN JOHNSON
The Black Arts Collective, a new undergraduate organization dedicated to Black artistry at Harvard, showcased student performers at its inaugural mixer on Friday. The event, held in the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, featured a conversation with Harvard English and African and African American Studies professor Tracy K. Smith ’94 — a United States Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner. “It was a dream to have her present, and I’m glad that she came and spoke true words of wisdom,” said Toussaint J. Miller ’25, who helped organize the event. The mixer, which drew more than 50 people, was the first
event organized by Black Arts Collective. The new group is led by Miller, Mariah M. Norman ’25, Anya N. Sesay ’25, and Jetta M. Strayhorn ’25. “It was amazing to have all of our student performers,” Miller said. “It shows how much of Black Harvard and people who support Black Harvard identifies as a community.” “That’s why we’re called the Black Arts Collective — because we are a family,” Miller added. Sesay called the mixer a “beautiful inaugural event.” The student performers included Miller, who performed an original composition and called on the audience to harmonize with him, along with Sesay and Strayhorn, who recited poetry. Devon N. Gates ’23 played
SEE COLLECTIVE PAGE 3
Radcliffe Hosts Conference on Harvard’s Ties to Slavery MGH Study By CAROLINE E. CURRAN and SARA DAHIYA CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
University President Lawrence S. Bacow spoke at a conference about Harvard’s legacy of slavery, held at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study on Friday. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Harvard Today 2
News 3
Editorial 4
Sports 5
Following the release of a long-awaited report that detailed the “integral” role slavery played in shaping Harvard, University President Lawrence S. Bacow on Friday pledged to marshal the school’s resources to “repair the damage” caused by the legacy of slavery. Bacow’s remarks came at a day-long event held at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study that was dedicated to discussing a landmark University report released last week that detailed how slavery “powerfully shaped Harvard.” Harvard has pledged to allocate $100 million to implement the recommendations of the report, which found that prominent University affiliates enslaved more than 70 people and that slavery was a key source of the school’s wealth across three centuries.
TODAY’S FORECAST
“The reality is that slavery played a significant role in our institutional history,” Bacow said. “That this truth has been obscured for so long should prompt our indignation — and it does — but, more importantly, it must also prompt our action.” The event, entitled “Telling the Truth about All This: Reckoning with Slavery and Its Legacies at Harvard and Beyond,” featured addresses from Bacow, Harvard Provost Alan M. Garber ’76, Radcliffe Dean Tomiko Brown-Nagin, Prairie View A&M University President Ruth J. Simmons, and Boston University Center for Antiracist Research Director Ibram X. Kendi, among others. Speakers at the event came discussed the report’s findings and its significance for higher education. Brown-Nagin, who chaired the committee that produced the report, opened the
RAINY High: 57 Low: 46
SEE RADCLIFFE PAGE 3
Links Heart Failure and Infertility By DANISH BAJWA and TARAH D. GILLES CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
A recent study published by Harvard affiliated-researchers in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found infertility in women to be linked with a 16 percent increase in risk of heart failure. The study — conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital with support from the American Heart Association and the National Institute of Health — analyzed data from more than 35,000 post-menopausal women. The researchers found a
SEE MGH PAGE 3
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MAY 2, 2022
PAGE 2
HARVARD TODAY
For Lunch Meatball Sub Shrimp with Fettucini Vegan Meatball Sub
For Dinner Mexican Chicken Fried Cod with Chipotle Aioli Kale & Potato Enchilada Bake
TODAY’S EVENTS Managing Test Anxiety 10 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
IN THE REAL WORLD
Join the Academic Resource Center to learn how not to freak out during your finals and get the grade you deserve. Free and probably useful!
New Mexico Fire Spreads to Over 100,000 Acres
Across Calf Canyon in New Mexico, wildfires have spread over 100,000 acres amid shifting winds, increasing temperatures, and stagnant humidity. Over two dozen communities in Northern New Mexico were ordered to evacuate immediately.
Scientific Critical Thinking: A missing ingredient in science education 4:30 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
Dr. Deborah Birx Predicts Upcoming COVID-19 Surges in the U.S.
SEAS and the Physics Department are holding a lecture on STEM grad/ postdoc teaching best practices and how they can improve on teaching critical thinking. If you’re into STEM but have been avoiding the trek over to SEAS, this event is for you.
Pedestrians walk along Prescott Street in Cambridge. JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Speaker Nancy Pelosi Visits Kyiv and Pledges U.S. Support
AROUND THE IVIES
CPR for Mental Wellbeing 5 p.m.-6 p.m.
YALE: Seeking Eugenics History in Yale’s Science Curriculum —THE YALE DAILY NEWS
This is NOT a workshop on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, but maybe this workshop with HUHS will resuscitate your motivation for the rest of the semester. Make sure to register ahead of time if you want to go!
Based on COVID-19 data from South Africa, former White House Coronavirus Response Task Force coordinator Deborah Birx expects another surge of Covid-19 to hit southern states in the U.S. during the summer, followed by a surge in northern states in the winter.
COLUMBIA: University Urges Mask Wearing as Tompkins County Invokes Mask Advisory Amid Rising COVID-19 Cases —THE CORNELL DAILY SUN BROWN: State Legislature Considers Bill to Limit Teaching of Race, Sexuality in Schools —THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PENN: Leaked Reports Allege Penn Officials Led ‘Shameless Cover-up’ to Protect Gene Therapy Program —THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a congressional delegation that visited Kyiv, Ukraine, to meet with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over the weekend. The legislators pledged the United States’ continued support to Ukraine as the war against Russia continues. Pelosi is the most senior lawmaker to visit Ukraine since the start of the war. The visit follows President Biden’s request for $33 billion from Congress to aid Ukraine.
COVID UPDATES
LAST 7 DAYS CURRENTLY
CAMPUS
276 In Isolation
387 1.74% Total New Cases
Positivity Rate
LAST 7 DAYS
CAMBRIDGE
815 4.2% 77%
Total New Cases
Positivity Rate
Fully Vaccinated
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY Harvard’s Outside Support Increases to $59M
Harvard received $59 million in outside support during the 1975-1976 Fiscal Year, an increase of 13 percent, according to an annual survey by the Council for Financial Aid to Education. The sum represented a $6.6 million increase over the prior year year, and continued a trend of Harvard leading the nation in outside aid dollars. May 2, 1977
Women’s Studies Celebrates 10th Year
The Committee on Women’s Studies celebrated its 10th anniversary in its new home in Warren House. Festivities included champagne, speeches, and toasts from friends, faculty, and University President Neil L. Rudenstine. May 2, 1997
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873
The Harvard Crimson Raquel Coronell Uribe ’22-’23 Associate Managing Editors President Kelsey J. Griffin ’23 Taylor C. Peterman ’23-’24 Jasper G. Goodman ’23 Managing Editor Associate Business Managers Amy X. Zhou ’23 Taia M.Y. Cheng ’23-’24 Business Manager Isabelle L. Guillaume ’24
STAFF FOR THIS ISSUE Arts Chairs Sofia Andrade ’23-’24 Jaden S. Thompson ’23
Design Chairs Yuen Ting Chow ’23 Madison A. Shirazi ’23-’24
Magazine Chairs Maliya V. Ellis ’23-’24 Sophia S. Liang ’23
Multimedia Chairs Aiyana G. White ’23 Pei Chao Zhuo ’23
Blog Chairs Ellen S. Deng ’23-’24 Janani Sekar ’23-’24
Technology Chairs Ziyong Cui ’24 Justin Y. Ye ’24
Editorial Chairs Guillermo S. Hava ’23-24 Orlee G.S. Marini-Rapoport ’23-24 Sports Chairs Alexandra N. Wilson ’23-’24 Griffin H. Wong ’24
Night Editor Maria G. Gonzalez ’23 Assistant Night Editors J. Sellers Hill ’25 Eric Yan ’24 Story Editors Jasper G. Goodman ’23 Kelsey J. Griffin ’23 Taylor C. Peterman ’23-’24
Design Editors Camille G. Caldera ’22 Toby R. Ma ’24 Photo Editor Pei Chao Zhuo ’23 Editorial Editor Aurash Z. Vatan ’23 Sports Editor Griffin H. Wong ’24
CORRECTIONS The April 29 story “City to Expand Guaranteed Income Program” incorrectly stated Cambridge’s guaranteed income pilot program would be the second-largest basic income program in the United States. In fact it would be the third-largest, behind Los Angeles and Chicago.
Copyright 2022, The Harvard Crimson (USPS 236-560). No articles, editorials, cartoons or any part thereof appearing in The Crimson may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the President. The Associated Press holds the right to reprint any materials published in The Crimson. The Crimson is a non-profit, independent corporation, founded in 1873 and incorporated in 1967. Second-class postage paid in Boston, Massachusetts. Published Monday through Friday except holidays and during vacations, three times weekly during reading and exam periods by The Harvard Crimson Inc., 14 Plympton St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138 Weather icons made by Freepik, Yannick, Situ Herrera, OCHA, SimpleIcon, Catalin Fertu from flaticon.com is licensed by CC BY 3.0.
The April 29 story “FAS Launches Strategic Initiative” incorrectly stated Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences launched a three-year strategic planning initiative earlier this month. In fact, the initiative began in October. The article also incorrectly stated one of the steering committees leading the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ academic strategic planning efforts will be for the Social Studies division. In fact, it will be for the Social Sciences division.
PAGE 3
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MAY 2, 2022
RADCLIFFE FROM PAGE 1
Radcliffe Hosts Conference on Harvard’s Ties to Slavery conference by discussing the importance of understanding historical injustices in the present day.
With nearly 400 years behind us, we could be — and in some cases have been — seduced by, let’s face it, a rosy view of our own history, a highly selective view of our own history. Lawrence S. Bacow University President
“As I’ve often said over the
course of Harvard’s reckoning with its legacies of slavery, we can’t dismantle what we cannot understand,” she said. “We can’t understand contemporary injustice unless we reckon with our history, and we’re doing just that at Harvard.” In his speech, Bacow recognized the findings of the report and acknowledged that the University has overlooked negative aspects of its history in the past. “With nearly 400 years behind us, we could be — and in some cases have been — seduced by, let’s face it, a rosy view of our own history, a highly selective view of our own history,” Bacow said. “I have to confess that I have been guilty of this myself at times,” he added. Simmons — who served as president of Brown from 2001-
2012 — delivered the event’s morning keynote address, alongside Garber and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. While serving as president
I’m sorry that it took some of us as long as it has to follow the road. Lawrence S. Bacow University President
of Brown, Simmons established a committee that examined the school’s ties to slavery. Bacow said Friday that Simmons “really paved the path for many others,” adding: “I’m sorry that it took some of us as long as it has to follow the road.” In her keynote address, Sim-
mons discussed how her experiences as a Black woman in academia shaped her actions as a leader in higher education. “For all the lies that surrounded me, I knew there were places dedicated to truth. And so my flight to academic life was really all about looking for that space, somewhere in the world, where the truth can be told,” Simmons said. “So we designed a process, to try to find out what the truth of it was, because nobody seemed to know. It was all hidden. It was erased from books completely.” “Insight from history is undeniably critical to solving current problems and preventing future abuses,” Simmons added. caroline.curran@thecrimson.com sara.dahiya@thecrimson.com
Experts speak on a panel entitled “Universities and Their Role in Repair of Legacies of Slavery.” JULIAN J. GIORDANO—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
HUA FROM PAGE 1
Estabine, Johnson, and Slate of Officers Elected to HUA Estabine served on and frequently represented the Citizens’ Assembly, a group of randomly-selected students convened by former UC President Michael Y. Cheng ’22 to draft a new constitution for Harvard’s student government. Estabine, a vocal supporter of Cheng, was endorsed by the former president on his Instagram account Tuesday. During their campaign, Estabine and Johnson stressed their commitment to efficient and accessible club funding, prioritizing cultural organizations. They also pledged to quickly establish a new website and renegotiate the student activities fee with College administrators to increase the spending power of the HUA. The election used rankedchoice voting, which allowed voters to rank as many of the six tickets in their order of preference. Estabine and Johnson won the most support, followed
by the ticket of Esther Xiang ’23 and Yousuf Amiel Bakshi ’23. The satirical ticket of Ian M. Espy ’23 and Ishan A. Bhatt ’23 came in third place. The announcement did not specify the number of votes each candidate received, a departure from past UC elections. After students turned out in massive numbers to dissolve the UC, the HUA’s first officer election featured markedly lower student participation. Just 1,849 students turned out to decide the HUA’s first slate of leaders, compared to the 3,955 voters who participated in last month’s referendum. In an interview following their election, the pair said the level of voter turnout did not concern them, citing high levels of student interest during Visitas last weekend. “At the end of the day, we were duly elected,” Johnson said. “We feel very confident in that, and so we’re going to go
out and do what voters asked us to do.” The co-presidents-elect will play an integral role in establishing the set of procedures and bylaws on which the body will rely, according to the HUA’s constitution, which Estabine helped draft. Estabine and Johnson also said they hoped to rename their position in an effort to decrease the prestige of the title, a topic that came up at last week’s debate. “We feel very strongly about changing the title of the co-presidency role eventually so that it’s not just a ‘prestigious title,’” Johnson said. “We want to see people apply for this because they actually care and are passionate about the role.” The body’s co-presidents will oversee seven officers who will lead teams dedicated to working on specific issues.
Harvard Undergraduate Association Election Results Co-Presidents
Treasurer
Well-Being Officer
1. LyLena D. Estabine '24 Travis Allen Johnson '24
1. Alexander J. Zurovec '25
1. Hana Rehman '25
2. Joy Y. Lin '23
2. Olivia R. Zhang '23
2. Esther Xiang '23 Yousuf Amiel Bakshi '23 3. Ian M. Espy '23 Ishan A. Bhatt '23 4. Kimani E. Panthier '24 Lisa R. Mathew '24 5. Maria F. De Los Santos '24 Zachary Lech '24 6. Jeremy J. Rasmussen '24 William R. Scheibler '23
3. Neil F. Katzman '24 4. Tiffany C. Onyeiwu '25
1. John S. Cooke '25
5. Arjun Bhattarai '24
2. Ahmad Alsheikh '24
6. Adreanna E. Dillen '25
Academic Officer
Sports Officer
1. Shikoh M. Hirabayashi '25
1. Abby L. Carr '25
2. Daniella O. Saforo '24
2. Lily Roberts '25
3. Evangelos Kassos '23
3. Katharine A. Forst '25
Residential Life Officer
Extracurricular Officer
1. David Y. Zhang '23
1. Autumn H. Dorsey '24
2. Matthew Allana '25
sellers.hill@thecrimson.com
MGH FROM PAGE 1
Social Life Officer
COLLECTIVE FROM PAGE 1
MGH Study Finds Link Between Black Arts Collective Hosts Heart Failure and Infertility Tracy K. Smith at First Mixer a statistically significant link between history of infertility and risk of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, HFpEF, however no such link was found between infertility and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, HFrEF. Though HFpEF and HFrEF are both forms of heart failure, HFpEF differs from HFrEF in the amount of blood pumped from the left ventricle of the heart per beat, or the ejection frac tion. The difference in ejection fraction lends itself to a difference in risk factors and mortality rates. Emily S. Lau, an instructor at Harvard Medical School who was the study’s first author, said researchers don’t understand why HFpEF “is incredibly prevalent among women,” adding
that “we don’t have good therapies for that type of heart failure.” Lau said there is “a big black box” around infertility research, even though national estimates show that roughly 15 percent of American women experience infertility.
There’s a lot of room for investigation. Emily S. Lau HMS Instructor
Researchers have done some work in the past that showed a link between infertility and cardiovascular disease, according to Lau. Before the new study was published in JACC, however,
Lau said “the investigations had been very small in scale, and the data really had been quite mixed.” “There’s a lot of room for investigation,” Lau said. “Trying to connect a woman’s reproductive history with her future risk of cardiovascular disease — specifically with this form of heart failure — is really important to me, and, I think, something that will guide clinical practice for many cardiologists and primary care physicians,” she added. Lau said she and other researchers are interested in understanding the mechanisms driving the link between infertility and risk of heart disease. “I think we have a lot of room to go in terms of better understanding this relationship,” Lau said.
played bass and sang a rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” which the crowd joined in singing. “Such great energy — great to be playing for people that you know have usually a similar musical upbringing,” Gates said. “They’re all songs that we all grew up singing and hearing in the car and in the house.” Audience member Nia N. Meadows ’23-’24 said she thought the event was “inspir-
ing.” “It feels like it could be a really transformative change,” Meadows said. “I’m just really excited to see where this could lead.” Norman said that audience members thanked her and the other organizers following the event. “I could tell that we needed this — Black Harvard needed this, and Harvard needed this,” she added. The organizers said that
they hope to hold more events in the future and want to foster Black artistry across Harvard’s campus. “It’s not something that’s going to end when we leave, at all. This will be a community that we will continue to build and foster,” Strayhorn said. “It’s not even about us at this point,” she added. “It’s just about allowing Blackness to thrive.”
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MAY 2, 2022
PAGE 4
EDITORIAL THE CRIMSON EDITORIAL BOARD
OP-ED
Problematic Proctoring
A White Man’s Voice
We want to make one thing clear: This is a labor issue, a labor trend even
I
t’s not just you: This year’s freshmen really are everywhere. Over 1,900 students were accepted into Harvard College’s Class of 2025 back in 2021, joining the roughly 350 members of the Class of 2024 who chose to defer their acceptance a year prior. All in all, the Class of 2025 sits at about 1,962 – the College’s largest classes to date, and a true nightmare if you have to get past Annenberg to get to lecture. Yet undergraduate punctuality is hardly the biggest victim of our outsized freshman class — firstyear proctors, in many ways the keepers of our youngest affiliates, are. Firstyear proctors are an integral part of the freshman experience at Harvard. Proctors, who must be enrolled in a Harvard graduate program or employed by the University, oversee freshmen entryways and are supposed to facilitate the sometimes rocky transition to collegiate life. In exchange for a variety of duties ranging from advising students to organizing study breaks, proctors receive free Harvard housing and a University meal plan. The humongous class of freshmen has seemingly changed the expectations associated with the role, overwhelming proctors. Current first-year proctors have reported feeling burnt out; five felt compelled to leave their roles mid-year. Their responsibilities have quite literally multiplied: Rather than being assigned to advise the usual six to 12 freshmen as in prior years, this year’s proctors were given assignments of up to 18 students each. This over-burdening necessitates a vastly different time commitment than what they originally signed up for. Harvard knew that the incoming class would be substantially larger as early as this summer. So why were first-year proctors forced to pick up the slack for our institution’s poor planning? Needless to say, the fact that first-
year proctors’ only form of payment is university housing and meals makes it very easy to exploit their labor, making pay increases exceedingly unlikely (who, after all, wants an extra dining-hall swipe?). Particularly in light of their somewhat-fixed payment regime, it is unfair to hold our freshmen proctors to higher standards and more substantial workloads than what they originally expected. ‘Proctoring’ is not a full-time job, nor is it supposed to be — our freshman tutors should have the breathing room to pursue their actual studies or careers unencumbered by unexpected, unpaid extra work. We want to make one thing clear: This is a labor issue, a labor trend even. Time and time again, when push comes to shove and Harvard faces economic difficulty, it is those with the least institutional power that must pick up the slack. This systematic undervaluing of lower-paid, less “prestigious” labor is unjust and wide-ranging. It’s by no means the first time that Harvard has failed to treat its workers fairly. The proctor debacle thus reflects more than Harvard’s slant towards austerity politics throughout Covid-19, subtly cutting corners while tacitly accepting post-pandemic understaffing as a ‘new normal’. Either the administration believes that advising 12 students entails the same amount of work as advising 18, or it refuses to compensate for the additional work adequately; neither offers a satisfactory answer. It’s emblematic of what can only be described as institutional indifference towards proctoring itself, a baffling confidence that unpaid, regrettably not-unionized workers can simply be expected to ‘chip in’ and alleviate the direct consequences of understaffing our billionaire institution. One might expect our College, in the face of such a sharp rise in proctor departures and reported
stress levels, to be willing to introspect in the same good faith it demands from its proctors. Instead, it’s become clear that both Harvard and the First-Year Experience Office have, at times, created anxiety-inducing environments where proctors have been afraid to speak out. If internal critiques are unlikely, external scrutiny is aggressively discouraged. When our fellow Crimson news editors began working on their reporting, Nekesa C. Straker, a senior assistant dean who oversees the FYE, instructed proctors that they could “feel free to ignore” the Crimson’s inquiries about their experiences and requested to be notified of any prior exchanges. Speaking with student journalists, Straker sternly argued, rarely goes “the way one hopes it will”. We strenuously reject the way the Crimson was characterized by Dean Straker, and find the notion that student reporting — not sexual harassment, unworthy investments, or even lackluster proctoring — is the issue alarming. If anything, we find the improper intimidation of unpaid workers seeking adequate redress through the press symptomatic of Harvard’s excessive fixation on public perceptions over substance. All Harvard employees, including proctors, should be able to share their perspectives with media outlets without fear of institutional retaliation — especially when our institution is failing them on almost every level. This staff editorial solely represents the majority view of The Crimson Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings. In order to ensure the impartiality of our journalism, Crimson editors who choose to opine and vote at these meetings are not involved in the reporting of articles on similar topics.
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OP-ED
A Passover Plague: Israel Apartheid Week By REBECCA S. ARATEN and LAUREN A. PERL
“I
n every generation, they rise against us to destroy us,” Jewish students sang in the Vehi SheAmda prayer at Friday and Saturday night’s Passover seders. The passage first appeared in the Passover liturgy in the 8th century, and it still rings true. They did and still do rise against us. They rose against us to destroy us during years of our people’s enslavement and backbreaking labor in Egypt, which we commemorate and relive during the Passover seder. They rose against us during centuries of inquisitions, expulsions, pogroms, and blood libels. Passover, in particular, was a time of fear for Jews throughout Medieval times. During this holiday time, gentiles raised baseless accusations against Jews, claiming that they murdered gentile children and used their blood for Passover rituals. These accusations exploded on an annual basis into pogroms, murder sprees that kept Jews reciting, millennia after their Exodus, “This year we are slaves, next year we will be free people.” American Jews continue to face the seemingly eternal virus of antisemitism. In 2021, one in four Jews experienced antisemitism and there was a 12 percent increase in antisemitic acts such as vandalism, harassment, and assault. This Passover, our campus has witnessed antisemitism and callous disregard of Jewish students. As students observing Passover returned from joyous celebrations, they were disturbed to enter Harvard Yard and see a large display resembling Holocaust imagery of planes, barbed wire fences, and boxcars, including bandying insults against Zionists, equating their belief in a homeland for the Jewish people with systematic oppressions as stark
as racism and homophobia. Passover tells the history of the Jewish people bravely uniting to break from the oppressive bonds of slavery. To host Israel Apartheid Week during Passover diminishes the experience of Jewish suffering and cries for Jewish safety because Israel Apartheid Week opposes the existence of the State of Israel and claims that Jewish people are racist oppressors. By inviting known Holocaust denial apologist, Norman Finkelstein to campus, the Palestinian Solidarity Committee created a hostile environment for Jewish students. Finklestein is the author of ‘The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering.” This book evokes the antisemitic stereotype that Jews are greedy, manipulative, and power-hungry, by implying that Jews benefit financially from the Third Reich’s genocide of the Jewish people. Beyond that, Finkelstein has praised Holocaust denier David Irving, and terrorist groups such as Hezbollah. The Apartheid wall, prominently featured on campus, declares that “Zionism is racism, settler colonialism, white supremacy, apartheid.” It includes graphics triggering for many Jewish students, cartoon depictions of a wired fence, World War II-style airplanes, and boxcar trains — images that call to mind a Nazi concentration camp. Additionally, when the great majority of Jews in Israel are Sephardi, Mizrachi, African, or of mixed Ethnicity, whitewashing Zionism as “white supremacy” is also inherently antisemitic. The Anti-Defamation League defines Zionism as the Jewish movement for self-determination in the land of Israel — the historical birthplace and biblical homeland of the Jewish people. With this in mind, Zionism, manifested as the desire to return to the Land of Israel, has
been at the heart of Judaism since the Jewish peoples were forced, oppressed, and exiled from their ethnic homeland two thousand years ago. Such Zionism is embedded in Jewish prayer, ritual, literature, and culture, and in turn, Pew Research Center reports that 45 percent of Jews say caring about Israel is “essential” to their Jewish identity, and an additional 37 percent say it is “important” to their Jewish identity. When the overwhelming majority of Jewish people identify as Zionist, to dismiss this ideology is culturally and historically insensitive and antisemitic. Jewish individuals have been active participants in civil rights, gender equality, fair labor, and queer liberation movements all throughout American history. Jewish students work to promote the ideal of Tzelem Elohim, that all people have a divine spark in them and have equal dignity and value, and Tikkun Olam, world repair. To label a significant portion of Jewish students racist and colonial for following their religious values is antisemitic and disheartening. Witnessing how people rise against Jewish communities in this generation has been a burden for many Jewish students, but they will remember the first verse of the Vehi Sheamda prayer: “It is this that has stood for our ancestors and for us,” this meaning the promise that God made to Abraham, that our ancestors would be redeemed from Egypt and make it safely to the biblical Land of Israel. It is this promise of a national homeland that we proudly sing at the end of the seder, “Next Year in Jerusalem.” —Rebecca S. Araten ’23, a joint concentrator in History and Literature and Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Mather House, is a former president of Harvard Hillel. Lauren A. Perl ’25 is a firstyear student in Wigglesworth Hall.
By IAN D. SVETKEY
W
hen I was looking through courses this semester, I noticed that the professor of a class about narratives of individuals who were enslaved was a white man. That didn’t sit right with me. Why would a class about stories integral to Black culture be taught by someone with no lived experience in that culture? I’ll back up a little bit. As a straight, cisgender, white man from an upper-middle-class family, I come from an awful lot of privilege. I know how easy it is to unintentionally overlook bigotry because it doesn’t constantly exert a force on my life. I’ve felt the effects of discrimination through my friends and my mom, who works as a lawyer, while my dad stays home — but that’s not remotely the same. And as someone with not just one, but many forms of privilege, I haven’t had any experience with oppression that might help me empathize with others’ struggles. I simply have no rubric. This lack of lived experience means I have to be careful when talking about injustice. I can, and should, educate myself on the topic — oppressed people shouldn’t bear the sole responsibility of teaching others about their trauma. But there’s a difference between forcing the burden of education on victims and understanding that a story rooted in group history and experience can only be truly told by someone within that group. So regardless of how qualified white professors are, I really don’t think they should be teaching classes explicitly focused on the experiences of other racial or ethnic groups. Of course, these topics need to be taught, and at a less-well-funded school, a white teacher might be the only person available. But Harvard has the resources to hire whomever they like, so it’s concerning that 79 percent of tenured professors are white, 57 percent are white men, and only 4 percent are Black. Yale and Princeton, among others, have similar demographics, but that should not be used to diffuse responsibility. Something is deeply broken. Harvard should hire more minority faculty in every department — diverse scholars shouldn’t be pigeonholed into studying only their own cultural history. But in fields focused on group culture, there’s no excuse for underrepresentation. While there are certainly esteemed Black professors in the Department of African and African American Studies, there are not nearly enough. And that’s not for lack of demand — students have been pushing for an expanded ethnic studies program for years. Why such reticence to make meaningful change? One reason is that this change requires privileged individuals to fight against their own privilege. And that’s hard, because privilege offers a powerful feeling of superiority — a feeling strong enough to cause people to sometimes betray solidarity even when it would be in their economic interest. Poor white Southerners, for instance, refused to join Black sharecroppers after the Civil War to fight the plantation aristocracy, because they didn’t want to let go of the emotional safety net of white supremacy. Fear of ostracization offers another impetus to stay silent — for example, men who stand up for women’s rights are often attacked by other men. And hearing marginalized people speak up can feel like injustice for those accustomed to their stories being the only ones told. That’s why white racists scream “reverse racism,” and transphobes cry for the rights of the “super-straights.”
There are many things I can and should do with the platform my privilege affords me. Telling someone else’s story for them is not one of those things. Whether I like it or not, my privilege gives me a platform, and I have a responsibility to use it, because silence promotes the status quo. As I understand it, I should amplify others’ stories, express my opposition to discrimination, and share my experience when appropriate. It’s a cop-out to argue that I shouldn’t say anything because my perspective isn’t as relevant as the one of the person who’s experiencing discrimination; telling my story isn’t mutually exclusive with listening as long as I’m respectful. I just need to make sure I stay open to constructive criticism — I have no experience with the other side of the power dynamic, so criticism could easily be rightful. Of course, being an ally does not absolve me of privilege — I know that I’m still capable of accidentally hurting people, and judgment for going against the grain is not the same as being seen as subhuman. I’m also aware that I shouldn’t congratulate myself for standing up — applauding allies for decrying bigotry, while not doing the same for marginalized people, is itself a subtle form of discrimination. I shouldn’t be rewarded twice as much for working half as hard. I’m sure the white professors teaching about Black history are knowledgeable. But that doesn’t mean they should be the ones teaching those classes. As someone who’s never faced discrimination, I ask those in my position to understand our shared lack of experience, and therefore to be more cognizant of when to talk and when to shut up — even when it’s easy to keep talking. Because the only people who can truly understand prejudice are those who have been on the wrong side of it. There are many things I can and should do with the platform my privilege affords me. Telling someone else’s story for them is not one of those things. —Ian D. Svetkey ’25, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Hurlbut Hall.
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THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MAY 02, 2022
SPORTS
THIS WEEKEND’S
SCORES
MEN’S TENNIS VS. YALE W, 4-0 ___________________________________________________________
WOMEN’S HEAVYWEIGHT ROWING EASTERN SPRINTS 3RD ___________________________________________________________
MEN’S LACROSSE AT YALE L, 17-16 ___________________________________________________________
BASEBALL VS. DARTMOUTH L, 15-2 ___________________________________________________________
WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. BROWN W, 15-14 ___________________________________________________________ SAILING NEW ENGLAND DINGHY CHAMPIONSHIP 2ND ___________________________________________________________
SOFTBALL VS. DARTMOUTH W, 4-3 ___________________________________________________________
GOLF
IvyChampionships: Harvard Teams Finish Third By ERIGNACIO FERMIN PEREZ CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
The Harvard men and women golf teams headed to the tristate area over the weekend of April 22nd to compete in the first golf Ivy League Championships since 2019. The men and women’s teams had challenging matchups leading into the championship game, but both teams ended their season in third place. Before the championship, the women’s team gathered momentum with a stellar performance at the Hoya Invitational at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where the Crimson was able to walk away with a second place finish. “I definitely think leaving the Hoya Invitational, [we felt] it was our best Ivy finish yet,” senior captain Anina Ku said. “But, I think we all walked away from that, focusing on small things that we still had to improve on.” “I think for the Ivy League Golf Championship we tried not to have expectations and just tried to focus on things that we can control … so mentally I believe [the Ivies] was one of our best performances,” Ku added. The championship ended with nearly the same story for the team as they ended Ivies in third place behind first place Princeton and second place Columbia. “We played well at Ivies. I
know we finished third, but we were only eight shots back,” Coach Kevin Rhoads said. Eight strokes separated the Crimson’s final to par score of +36 and Princeton’s final to par score of +28. Dartmouth and Yale tied for fourth with a final score of +38. “Overall I think it was indicative of really strong work and really good progress in the right direction,” Rhoads stated. “They have a lot to be proud of and a lot to build on.” The men’s team ended up in the same position, with a third place finish at +45, losing to first place Yale, +35, and Columbia, +40. “[Yale] put up a really good round the first day to be ten shots ahead of us and in the end that ended up being the margin of victory,” Rhoads said. The men’s team also edged out fourth place Princeton by a mere two points. two weeks prior to the Ivies the team was 40 points behind Princeton at the Princeton Invitational, finishing in 13th place out of 15 teams. “On the men’s side it was a really strong season as it turned out,” Rhoads said. “Princeton was concerning to finish forty shots back of Princeton … that was just uncharacteristic of this team for sure.” Leading up to the Ivy League Championship, Rhoads instilled the motto that the team must focus on what they can control and to not let things that
they cannot control weigh them down. The last Ivy League championship was played in 2019, and for some on the team, this 2022 championship was their very first Ivies experience, but upperclassmen who played preCovid were able to look at the championship with a different perspective. “I still have the memories of my freshman year Ivies, I remember every moment of it, basically...Especially, I remember us coming back from behind to win,” said Ku in reference to the 2019 Ivy League Championships in which the team was able to secure a final total score of +37. Seniors Chloe Royston and Ku were both members of the victorious lineup. After the team’s third place finishes, it is ready to regroup and prepare for next season and next Ivy League Championship. “We just have to do the work and continue to stay motivated and see if there were any lessons learned that were really controllable and that is what we are really going to focus on,” Rhoads said. Ku added some last words of wisdom for the team: “They have to continue having the same mentality next year, which was super patient and mature ... I think they will have a really good shot at getting the title back,” Ku said. erignacio.ferminperez@thecrimson.com
SUPER KU Senior captain Anina Ku practices her putting in 2018. Last weekend, Ku helped lead the Crimson to a third-place finish in the Ivy League Championships. COURTESY OF CONNER GRANT/HARVARD ATHLETICS
TRACK & FIELD
Crimson Posts Blazing Times in Weekend Meets By SYDNEY FARNHAM CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Harvard Track and Field competed near and far this past weekend. The Crimson continued to impress as they had all season with dominant class performances at neighboring MIT’s Sean Collier Invitational, Baylor University’s Michael Johnson Invitational, and The Virgina Challenge hosted by the University of Virginia. With Outdoor Ivy League Championships on the horizon the team posted multiple marks which leaves them among the programs best all time. Despite the trip getting off to a raining start, the sun came
out for the Crimson to compete at Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium in Waco, Texas. On the track the women’s 4x100 team of first years Victoria Bossong, Eden Finkelstein, sophomore Egbe Ndip-Agbor, and junior Tina Martin ran the seventh fastest time in program history, 3:39.83. In the 100 hurdles senior Jada Jones made her mark among the Harvard greats, running a 13.38 second best all time. The men’s side made sure to keep up with the ladies as first year Daniel Falode took third in triple jump and the 4x400 team ran a second fastest time in program history. The team was made up of first year Oliver Murcko and sophomores Pe-
ter Diebold, Gregory Lapit, and Lance Ward and ran a time of 3:09.81. Ward, along with senior DeMarkes Stradford, also competed in the 100m dash. Stratford’s time of 10.37 places him at second all time in program history and eighth at the collegiate level this season. This fact alone is very impressive, but it should also be known that this is Stradfords first season with the program. The All Ivy League wide receiver has spent the majority of his time in Cambridge on the football field. When asked about this performance this weekend and this season, Stradford responded, “ I just wanted to come out and be able to contribute to the team in
general. And being able to reach the successes that I have been, have been pretty exciting to see and pretty fun to do, especially with my teammates.” There was no shortage of sunshine for the Crimson back in Cambridge either. Just down the river at MIT five Harvard athletes took first in their respective events. On the track sophomore Jada Johnson ran a personal best time of 14.30 while winning the 100m hurdles. In the field junior Chet Ellis won high jump clearing 6’5”, senior DaLoria Boone won the long jump with a jump of 17’8.75”, junior Hannah McLaughlin took first in javelin (120’ 11”), and sophomore Meaghan Toscano
won discus ((139’7”). Toscano also took second in shot put, while junior teammate Cammy Garabian took second in hammer throw. At Lannigan Field, Harvard junior throwers Sarah Omoregie and Alexander Kolesnikoff made sure the Crimson were represented well down at The Virginia Challenge. Kolesnikoff threw his second best mark of the spring a 63’8¼” to take second in the men’s shot put. Posting a personal best and second best mark in program history, Omoregie placed fourth in shot put (52’10”). The only Harvard shot putter left between Omoregie and the Crimson record is Olympian Nikki Okwelogu ‘17.
LIKE A BOSSONG First-year Victoria Bossong and junior Sharelle Samuel compete in the women’s 600m race at the Ivy and HBCU Challenge in Cambridge on Dec. 4. Bossong helped the Crimson to 155 points in the first event of what would be a very strong season for her and the team. SILAS R. GARCIA-GEORGE—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
Omoregie attributes her success this weekend to “having a great team environment and having a great training. I think, as an athlete, you can get into your head and put a lot of pressure on yourself. And I think for me, after the pandemic, it was more about just having fun enjoying the process. So I think that’s kind of coming out now with my performances.” Looking ahead, the Crimson are set to compete at Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Track and Field Championships (“Heps” as they are affectionately known) less than two weeks from now. For the women’s side a “triple crown” is on the line. The first and only time Harvard Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country has taken first at all three Heptagonal Championships (cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track) was during the 2016/2017 season. Olympian Gabby Thomas was a sophomore at the time and won three medals at indoor championships, five at outdoor, and was named performer of the meet. While Thomas may be competing on much larger stages these days, her and her teammates have certainly left a legacy to carry on. The men’s side is hungry for their first Heptagonal Championship of the year after taking second at Cross Country and Indoor championships. In reference to the idea of winning an Ivy League Championship Stradford said, “That would be the ultimate end to my senior career for sure. I always have faith in my teammates and faith in myself and faith in our coaches. So I believe it’s possible as long as we do what we got to do, and just go out there and run fast and hope for the best because you’re the only control which you can control.” The Crimson have one last tune up this weekend before heading to New Haven in the pursuit of a championship. Multiple distance runners will compete at the historic Penn Relays, while others are headed to Stanford for the Payton Jordan Invitational. sydney.farnham@thecrimson.com
THE HARVARD CRIMSON |
MAY 2, 2022
PAGE 6
Where Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery Lives Today Text by CARA J. CHANG, ISABELLA B. CHO, ELLA L. JONES, and MONIQUE I. VOBECKY — CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS Photos by JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER
RESIDENTIAL HOUSES Harvard’s residential housing system is a quintessential part of the undergraduate experience. Upperclassman students at the College often introduce themselves to peers with their name, class year, and house affiliation. When they do, roughly half of undergrads identify last names synonymous with legacies of slavery, racism, or other discrimination. Winthrop House Governor John Winthrop, a founding member of Harvard who served on the University’s second-highest governing body, enslaved at least seven individuals and ordered for 17 prisoners from the Pequot War to be sold as slaves in Bermuda. Foundational to the development of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, he served multiple terms as its governor and lieutenant governor. Winthrop House, an upperclassman residence, is dedicated to Winthrop and his descendent, also named John Winthrop. Winthrop, the governor’s descendent, owned two slaves known as George and Scipio. He
HARVARD YARD The school’s ties to slavery extend beyond its upperclassmen houses. Wadsworth House Wadsworth House, which sits on the edge of the Yard facing Massachusetts Avenue, was built in 1726 for its namesake Benjamin Wadsworth, a president of the University who enslaved two people. The gate near the building is also named after Wadsworth. In 2016, former University President Drew G. Faust, joined by former Congressman John R. Lewis, dedicated a plaque on Wadsworth House to four enslaved people who lived and worked on campus in the 18th century: Bilhah, Venus, Titus, and Juba. Farther down Massachusetts Avenue, brass markers memorialize the site of Nathan-
served as a professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy from 1738 to 1779 and as acting president of Harvard for a year. Mather House Mather House, another one of Harvard’s 12 residential houses, is named after Increase and Cotton Mather, who both owned slaves — identified as “The Spaniard,” Onesimus, Obadiah, and “a little boy” in the report’s appendix. Graduating from the College in 1656, Increase Mather later served as Harvard’s president and rector. His son, Cotton Mather, was a member of Harvard’s top governing boards, serving first on the Harvard Corporation and then the Board of Overseers. In 2020, four Mather House residents wrote a petition calling on Harvard to change the House’s name in light of the family’s ties to slavery that garnered more than 300 signatures. Though they acknowledged the Mathers’ slave-ownership, then-Faculty Deans Michael D. Rosengarten and Christie McDonald said there were no plans to change the house’s name. Leverett House & Dudley Community
Lowell House & Eliot House
Leverett House and the Dudley Community are named after the relatives of Harvard affiliates who owned slaves. Leverett House honors the grandson of Governor John Leverett, who authorized the capture, enslavement, and forced migration of hundreds of Indigenous people. The Dudley Community, an alternative to the traditional house system, commemorates Thomas Dudley, a Massachusetts Bay Colony governor and member of the Harvard Corporation. Dudley’s son and grandson, Joseph and Paul Dudley, sat on University governing boards and owned slaves known as Peter, Brill, Guinea, an unnamed “Indian” girl, and an unnamed “negro boy.” In emailed statements, faculty and resident deans of Winthrop House, Mather House, and the Dudley Community all acknowledged the report’s findings and pledged to facilitate further discussion.
The namesakes of Lowell House and Eliot House — Abbott Lawrence Lowell and Charles W. Eliot — are two University presidents who oversaw Harvard’s expansion in the 20th century. While neither enslaved people, both endorsed racist practices on campus. Lowell, famous for creating the residential house system, excluded Black students from living in the new houses, promoted anti-Semitic admissions policies, and supported eugenics — a field of study that aimed to justify racial hierachy. He also amassed his wealth through the textile manufacturing industry, which relied on slave-picked cotton. As Harvard’s longest-serving president, Eliot had a “paradoxical racial legacy,” according to the report. While Harvard produced its first Black graduates during his tenure, Eliot also promoted eugenics and racial segregation.
Jonathan Hastings, who enslaved at least four people, was a steward for the College, in charge of managing the school’s residential operations. A stone tablet next to the Littauer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School marks the site of his home, per the report. Andrew Bordman II served as a steward and cook for the College from 1703 to 1747 and enslaved at least eight individuals. Enslaved people lived and worked at the Bordman home until Harvard bought the site in 1794. The Smith Campus Center now sits where the house was located. Former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Thomas Oliver enslaved at least a dozen individuals. Oliver built Elmwood — the residence of Harvard presidents since the 1970s — and sat on the Board of Overseers. The report recovered the names of at least 11 people enslaved by Oliver and noted he also enslaved an unknown number of people in Antigua.
and Trowbridge Streets. Edward Holyoke, who served as Harvard president from 1737 to 1769 and for whom Holyoke Street is named, enslaved four individuals. Joseph Willard, named Harvard president in 1781, enslaved a man named Cesar. Edmund Trowbridge, a professor and tutor, enslaved three people. Brattle Street and Brattle Square are both named for the family of William Brattle. A tutor, fellow of the Harvard Corporation, and treasurer of the University, Brattle owned two slaves — Scipio and Cicely. The town of Hopkinton, Mass., is named after Edward Hopkins, who provided significant financial support to Harvard in the early 18th century, and Winthrop, Mass., is named after Governor Winthrop and his family. The report also identified 11 other Harvard administrators, faculty members, and major donors who enslaved people but are not memorialized on campus.
iel Eaton’s home. Eaton — Harvard’s first leader who served as schoolmaster in the 1630s — enslaved one individual, identified only as “The Moor.” Wigglesworth Hall & Stoughton Hall Wigglesworth Hall, a freshman dormitory located in Harvard Yard, was built on the site of the home of slave owner Edward Wigglesworth. A professor of Divinity and fellow of the Corporation, Wigglesworth enslaved a man known as Hannibal. The dormitory is named after his father. Israel Stoughton oversaw the enslavement of hundreds of Pequot tribe members, per the report. He also enslaved an “Unnamed Pequot Woman” as well as a woman known as Dorcas. Stoughton Hall, another freshman dormitory, is named after his son. H ARVARD PROFESSORSHIPS
Harvard’s endowed professorships are named in honor of prominent donors — including some with ties to slavery. A professorship in orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School is named after a descendent of Israel Thorndike, a donor to the Massachusetts General Hospital who traded slaves in the Caribbean. James Perkins, another donor to the Harvard-affiliated MGH, traded slaves in Haiti and is the namesake for the Perkins Professorship of Astronomy and Mathematics. Thomas Hancock, for whom the Hancock Professorship of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages at the Harvard Divinity School is named, owned an unknown number of slaves, one of whom was called Cato. Isaac Royall Jr. funded the first professorship in law at Harvard, the Royal Professorship of Law. Alongside his father, he owned more than 60 enslaved individuals in Massachusetts and enslaved an unknown number of individuals on a plantation in Antigua. Law School Dean John F. Manning ’82 announced in an
email to affiliates following the release of the report that the professorship “will now be retired and will never be occupied again.” Professor Janet E. Halley, who held the post for more than a decade, resigned from the role, Manning wrote. O THER MEMORIALIZATIONS
Other slave-owning Harvard affiliates played a role in shaping the school’s history — though changes to campus have altered or removed some of their traces. For roughly two centuries, the seal of the Harvard Law School featured the Royall family crest. The Corporation allowed the school to change the seal in 2016 following student outcry. The Perkins conference room in Massachusetts Hall honors a descendent of MGH founding donor Samuel Gardner Perkins, who traded slaves in Haiti. For over a century, Francis Foxcroft’s house stood on the corner of Kirkland and Oxford Streets before it was demolished to build Lowell Lecture Hall. Foxcroft was a member of the Board of Overseers who enslaved two people.
BEYOND HARVARD Several streets in Cambridge are named for families and Harvard affiliates with ties to slavery, including Holyoke, Willard,
cara.chang@thecrimson.com isabella.cho@thecrimson.com ella.jones@thecrimson.com monique.vobecky@thecrimson.com