In recent years Brown University has taken a hard look at its 18th- and 19th-century ties to slavery. In 2006 a university committee released a 106-page report examining that unflattering period of Brown’s history. In contrast to other universities, which have mostly eschewed the topic despite their own ties to slavery, Brown has been notably open about its past.
Now a committee has issued recommendations about how the slave trade should be memorialized not only at the university, but also in the City of Providence, R.I., and the State of Rhode Island. The plans seem far from solid (the committee recommends, for instance, meeting with the mayor and the governor for further discussion), but it appears to be a step forward. —Thomas Bartlett
