January 27th 2025.
Last Thursday, on January 23rd, Harvard University made a surprising announcement that they were shutting down their Slavery Remembrance Program and letting go of their staff. This program, which was responsible for managing a significant $100 million endowment for the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery initiative, had the important task of identifying descendants of individuals who were once enslaved by the university's founders.
According to an article by the Harvard Crimson, the university has now outsourced this responsibility to a New England non-profit organization called American Ancestors. This organization is well-known for their 10 Million Names project and has been working with Harvard as an external research partner. This sudden move was not preceded by any discussions or warnings, as reported by the program's director, Richard J. Cellini, and research fellow, Wayne J. Tucker. Just a week before their dismissal, Cellini and his team had a meeting with the prime minister and governor general of Antigua and Barbuda, with hopes of establishing a research presence there.
The Slavery Remembrance Program had previously uncovered a shocking discovery that revealed hundreds of individuals who were enslaved by those associated with Harvard's founders between the years 1660 and 1885. In an investigation conducted by the Crimson in September of 2024, Cellini had accused Harvard's Vice Provost for Special Projects, Sara N. Bleich, of instructing him and the program to not find too many descendants. He had also stated that he had given the university an ultimatum: either let the program do their work properly or fire him. Unfortunately, four months later, Cellini received his answer through a text message from the Crimson announcing his termination. This left him with the bitter realization that his days at Harvard were over.
Harvard has released a statement confirming the expansion of American Ancestors' involvement with the university. According to Henry Louis Gates Jr., a member of the Legacy of Slavery initiative's advisory council and the advisory board for 10 Million Names, American Ancestors' extensive work on genealogies of enslaved people makes them the perfect partner to help with the massive task ahead. He also emphasized the importance of engaging with living direct descendants in a thoughtful and careful manner, which will be made possible through rigorous research by this partnership.
Ryan J. Woods, the President and CEO of American Ancestors, also expressed his dedication to upholding the highest standards of professional genealogical research in their expanded role. Their goal is to uncover the identities of individuals who were once enslaved by Harvard's leadership, faculty, or staff, and document their descendants. This is a crucial step in rebuilding the family histories of those who have been historically marginalized and overlooked. This partnership is an important step towards uncovering the truth and honoring the lives of those who have been affected by slavery.
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