Harvard’s Legacy of Slavery in Cambridge, Massachusetts

In the past decade, Harvard University has taken great strides to acknowledge the legacy of slavery on campus. Slavery provided an impetus for the creation of resources at Harvard, and several enslaved Black and Indigenous individuals of former university presidents even resided on campus at specific points. Centuries later, Harvard has taken steps to address this legacy, most recently with the release of the ‘Report of the Committee on Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery in April 2022. This case study examines the comprehensive review process undertaken by the University and how this process informs physical changes to the landscape of the historic campus.