Projects around the Country

Slavery and the University: A Movement

In 2003, Ruth Simmons, the president of Brown University, “appointed a Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice to investigate and issue a public report on the University’s historical relationship to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.” Brown’s decision to take on this monumental task was historic and it opened the way for colleges and universities, North and South, to do the same. 

In February 2011, representatives from dozens of colleges and universities met at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, to attend a conference entitled “Slavery and the University: Histories and Legacies.”

Since then, colleges and universities have marked their history with slavery through memorials, courses and student projects, archival exhibits, and apologies for their past support of the institution. Many have joined the Universities Studying Slavery Consortium. William & Mary is a founding member of that group.