Harvard releases information on 1,613 individuals enslaved by leaders, faculty, or staff - Harvard Gazette

"Harvard University has published a database identifying 1,613 individuals enslaved by University leaders, faculty, or staff or who labored on Harvard's campus between 1636 and 1865. The publicly accessible Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program (HSRP) database is an update on the University's research, and a result of a recommendation included in the 2022 Report of the Presidential Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery. The report initially identified more than 70 individuals."

"The new HSRP database includes the names, locations, and documented dates of enslaved people - as well as the names and positions of the Harvard affiliates who enslaved them. The research behind the database is being led by American Ancestors, the nation's oldest genealogical nonprofit and the research partner of the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery (H&LS) Initiative."

"“Harvard and our partners have approached this work thoughtfully, seriously, and with respect for those individuals we are able to identify and the family histories we can help recover,” said Sara Bleich, vice provost for special projects at Harvard and leader of the H&LS initiative. “To expand our research from just over 70 individuals to now 1,613 has taken genealogical expertise on the part of countless researchers. And, while our work is by no means done, this is a big step forward.”"

"The database is the product of rigorous genealogical and archival research. While genealogical research often begins with a living person and traces backward, for enslaved individuals, “We do the opposite: start in the past and move to the present,” said Lindsay Fulton, chief research officer at American Ancestors. “We are basically doubling the research - because you have to research both the enslavers and the people they enslaved.”"

Harvard published the Harvard Slavery Remembrance Program database, identifying 1,613 individuals enslaved by Harvard leaders, faculty, or staff or who labored on Harvard’s campus between 1636 and 1865. The database is an update to earlier research that had identified more than 70 people, following a recommendation from the 2022 Report of the Presidential Committee on Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery. The database provides names, locations, and documented dates of enslaved people, along with the names and positions of Harvard affiliates who enslaved them. Research is led by American Ancestors, using rigorous genealogical and archival methods that trace from the past to the present and require researching both enslavers and enslaved individuals.

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