The government of Antigua and Barbuda is calling on Harvard to make amends for its historical ties to slavery — the labor and profit from which led to the establishment of its elite law school.
Gaston Browne, prime minister of the twin-island Caribbean nation, sent a letter to Harvard President Lawrence S. Bacow last month demanding the Ivy League institution pay reparations as acknowledgement of the Antiguan slave labor contribution, according to The Harvard Crimson.
“Reparations from Harvard would compensate for its development on the backs of our people,” Browne wrote in the Oct. 30 letter. “Reparation is not aid; it’s not a gift; it is compensation to correct the injustices of the past and restore equity. Harvard should be in the forefront of this effort.”
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This isn’t the first time the Antiguan government has pressed the university to atone for past with slavery. The Caribbean nation previously reached out to Harvard, once in 2016 and again in 2018, calling for restitution. The latest push comes after what Browne called Harvard’s refusal to acknowledge it’s ties to Antigua, especially at a time when other institutions have taken steps to atone for their slave past.
In his letter, the prime minister highlighted that several institutions of higher learning, including Princeton Theological Seminary and the University of Glasgow in the U.K. have already committed payment to Antigua and Barbuda for their ties to slavery in the Caribbean.
“We consider Harvard’s failure to acknowledge its obligations to Antigua and the stain it bears from benefitting from the blood of our people as shocking, if not immoral,” Browne opined.
Source: Antigua Demands Harvard Pay Reparations for School’s Past Ties to Slavery
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