Harvard Law School is quietly scrubbing slavery from its brand

[Tennis]

What’s in a name—or a symbol, or a shield, for that matter?

It’s a fierce debate at many US universities right now. They’re questioning whether historic markers that have ties to racism, like Princeton’s use of the name of former president and notorious white supremacist Woodrow Wilson on its buildings, should be allowed to remain on modern-day campuses.

Oxford recently moved to take down a statue of Cecil Rhodes, then reversed course after alums protested. Yale is still trying to decide how it feels about one of its residential colleges bearing the name of a public slavery supporter. At Harvard, administrators have decided to drop the word “master” from certain faculty titles, replacing it with the much more neutral “faculty dean.”

Harvard’s now taking a second step in that direction. A committee at Harvard Law School—formed by dean Martha L. Minow after racially-charged vandalism appeared on the portraits of black law professors last fall—decided Friday (March 4) that the school should abandon its 80-year-old shield, which is based on the crest of the Royalls, a prominent slave-owning family that helped establish the law school’s first professorship in the 18th century.

Writing that the current shield does not “closely represent the values of the school,” the committee of 12 professors, alumni, staff, and students, with Minow’s support, is urging Harvard’s governing body to find “better ways to engage the past and its legacy” that don’t involve holding onto a “symbol that so many members of the community reject.” Two of the committee members didn’t agree: They penned a dissenting opinion asking the seal be kept as an “honest” reminder of the school’s connection to slavery.

And that disagreement is the crux of the matter at Harvard and beyond, right now. Do schools with long histories—in the interest of championing modern values—have a responsibility to scrub themselves clean of racism and bigotry? Or does that kind of erasure sanitize an all too real history, and promote coddling and weakened intellectual spirit? In trying both not to offend and not to deny their founding legacies, schools are at difficult crossroads. While Harvard is moving in one direction, other universities’ courses are not yet clear.

http://qz.com/631904/harvard-law-sch...rom-its-brand/

2016. 2016 and they're now doing this? Like what were they waiting for?

[klogaroth]

You should probably scrub most US presidents from before the abolition of slavery from history as well. Since a great many of them were slave owners.

That's just the reality of history. We don't need to approve of it, but to pretend that depictions of the likes of George Washington should no longer occur because he owned slaves is just....daft. He accomplished a great many things, things that people would like to remember. Was everything he did good? No. Should we remember the good things he did do? Yes.

[s_bushido]

Your inevitable ban can't come soon enough. Then there will be at least a couple weeks reprieve from this garbage.

I find it amusing that presumably educated people are taking a similar stance to what I've heard from creationists: "Darwin was a racist, so evolution is a lie!!!" Historical figures will never measure up to our beliefs/values today. Trying to erase them, pretend they didn't exist, and act as if we have to believe as they did simply because they founded the fucking school is the height of stupidity.

[Underverse]

They owned slaves, because everyone who had money owned slaves in that day. This is stupid.

[Bryntrollian]

Still trying to hide from your heritage eh ?

[Gumboy]

I like how they removed "master" from titles like anyone was offended by it in that context...try taking the title from a master swordsman!

[xChurch]

What's that line again about those who forget history? I guess putting that stuff into context is just too damn hard for a...school, like give me a break. If not for these people the school's wouldn't even exist. Who they were was very much a product of the time anyway.

[klogaroth]

I like how they removed "master" from titles like anyone was offended by it in that context...try taking the title from a master swordsman!

I'm starting a campaign to remove the mastery stat from WoW on these grounds.

[slime]

2016. 2016 and they're now doing this? Like what were they waiting for?

My guess they just wanted to make sure popular opinion wouldn't swing back the other way.

[Fang7986]

What I find amusing is that people actually believe Slavery was an American only thing and it was only around for a few hundred years. They refuse to believe that it has existed practically since human kind has at that it was practiced everywhere, including blacks enslaving other blacks in Africa

[Underverse]

What I find amusing is that people actually believe Slavery was an American only thing and it was only around for a few hundred years. They refuse to believe that it has existed practically since human kind has at that it was practiced everywhere, including blacks enslaving other blacks in Africa

And is still practiced today...in Africa (as well as a few other parts of the world).

[Deleted]

--SNIP--

Don't post spam

[Stormdash]

http://qz.com/631904/harvard-law-sch...rom-its-brand/

2016. 2016 and they're now doing this? Like what were they waiting for?

Yeah... why didn't they embrace an Orwellian agenda of purging and sanitizing the truth of their own background sooner?

Funny thing, children... that old axe about the danger of forgetting the lessons of history and dooming yourself to repeat them? If you forcibly go about deleting history, you'll guarantee it.

[greeeed]

Even Disney didn't remove all of their old anime and act as if nothing happened, did they?

[Kontinuum]

2016. 2016 and they're now doing this? Like what were they waiting for?

$current_year

[buck008]

I'm sorry, did your source say "notorious white supremacist Woodrow Wilson"? For fuck's sake.

[I Push Buttons]

And is still practiced today...in Africa (as well as a few other parts of the world).

The entire world is more like it, including in the US.

Slaves are cheaper now than ever.

On topic, this is stupid. Deleting history and acting like it didn't happen should be against the law.

[Garnier Fructis]

What I find amusing is that people actually believe Slavery was an American only thing and it was only around for a few hundred years. They refuse to believe that it has existed practically since human kind has at that it was practiced everywhere, including blacks enslaving other blacks in Africa

I can't ever recall people saying it didn't exist elsewhere, but I do see this 'response' all the time. What is your point?

[Deleted]

I'm starting a campaign to remove the mastery stat from WoW on these grounds.

Aaaaaaaaaaand, today's 'free internet' coupon goes to klogaroth. Have fun with it.

[Deleted]

I like how they removed "master" from titles like anyone was offended by it in that context...try taking the title from a master swordsman!

Ha!

I still use Master/Slave everyday :3