Sunday, March 05, 2017

Some of the most "prestigious" universities are product of slavery

" "Harvard was directly complicit in slavery from the college's earliest days in the 17th century until the system of bondage ended in Massachusetts in 1783," Faust, a historian, said in her opening speech." "Other colleges, including the University of Virginia, used slaves to build and operate their campuses, and some were founded by wealthy merchants involved in the slave trade." "Last month, Yale University agreed to change the name of a residential college that honored a 19th century alumnus who was a fierce supporter of slavery. Columbia University issued a report in January examining its link to slavery. Georgetown University announced last year it will give admission preference to the descendants of 272 slaves who were sold in 1838 to save the school's finances." (thanks Amir)