Harvard University Honors Slaves Who Served The School

 
Harvard University is attempting to make amends for the school’s history when it comes to slavery with the unveiling of a new plaque. This plaque is place on one of the most historical buildings at Harvard University. The building is where one of Harvard University’s first presidents lived and it’s here that a number of slaves served President Benjamin Wadsworth from 1725 until 1737 according to the Daily Mail.


The Harvard University plaque which was hung on the outside of the Wadsworth House talks about a few pairs of slaves who served at Harvard University in particular. Named in the memorial are Titus and Venus who served directly under Wadsworth. Juba and Bilhah are also listed on the slate plaque. Those slaves were serving under another Harvard University president by the name of Edward Holyoke who was in charge of the school from 1737 until 1769.
 
 This move is the latest in what has been a rather large scale move by Ivy League schools to acknowledge their roles in the slave trade when the country was still young. Harvard University has taken other steps in the past weeks and months to try and put that part of its history farther into its history. In February, the school it announced it was formally doing away with the official title of “House Master” after a number of students complained the name seemed to be harkening back to the days of slavery.

Harvard University is even thinking about changing its shield and school logo. While people outside the campus might not know it, but the bundle of wheat that is on that shield is a tribute to an old plantation owner. Harvard isn’t the only university in the Ivy League that has announced it is either taking action or has taken action along the lines of these plaques. Yale is following in the footsteps of Harvard University. Yale is thinking about changing the name of one of its residential halls. Right now the building is named after John C. Calhoun. While Calhoun is quite the famous alumnus of the school, he was also a vice president who was an ardent supporter of slavery.