April 24, 2007

UVa Board Speaks of 'Regret' Over University's Use of Slaves in 1800s

The University of Virginia’s governing board passed a resolution this month in which it expressed “particular regret” for using slaves during the first half-century of its existence, until the end of the Civil War. The resolution, which passed unanimously, notes that “mostly anonymous laborers,” both slave and free, helped build the university. In the document, the board also “recommits itself to the principles of equal opportunity.” A news release accompanying the resolution states that it “is believed to be” the first of its kind in American higher education.

Brown University, which drew start-up funds in the 18th century from a pair of slave-trading brothers, issued a report last fall on its ties to that “peculiar institution” of antebellum America. The report, an unsparing look at a shameful side of the university’s past, recommended that Brown formally acknowledge its ties to slavery, build a memorial on the campus, and establish a center on slavery and justice. It stopped short of recommending monetary reparations or an institutional apology.

Since the Brown report came out, few other universities, North or South, have appeared ready to investigate their historical ties to slavery, let alone express apologies or regret. —Andrew Mytelka

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