In case anyone missed it, last week Brown University announced the findings of its commission to investigate the debt of the university to slave labor. Initiated by University President, Ruth Simmons, who is herself the great-granddaughter of slaves, the committee found that the institution’s early financial support depended on the proceeds of slave labor. As a result the committee recommended that the University actively acknowledge this past with incoming students, that they create a memorial, that they open a new center to study slavery and injustice, and that they actively recruit students from Africa and the Caribbean.
All of these steps seem reasonable to me, yet I’m left wondering why the University might not make a more substantial commitment to the African American community in Providence. If they are going to acknowledge their debt, they could make themselves a useful and restorative presence in that community. And, would it kill them to provide tuition waivers for African American students?
Of course, I suggest this knowing full well that my beloved alma mater, Georgetown, should be facing the same decisions based on the history of the Jesuit plantations in southern Maryland. In fact, the list of institutions of higher education who should be grappling with these issues is long. In my opinion, tuition and community involvement are much more significant interventions than yet another “center” to study slavery. Good scholarly work is being done out there in the existing institutional homes for this inquiry. It’s time for these universities to make a move that will actually make a difference in people’s lives.