Race
What Critical Race Theory Was — and is — at Harvard Law School
How has the legal field of critical race theory been shaped by Harvard Law School, and how do its students and scholars view conservative attacks on the field?
What Happened to the Push for a Multicultural Center?
Following the onset of the pandemic, some believe students have stopped asking for a multicultural center, even as activism supporting an ethnic studies department and race-conscious admissions has persisted. Activists are now beginning to revive efforts for cultural centers or a multicultural space, though many have different views on what they would look like.
Ahead of Harvard Commencement, Graduating Students Celebrate Accomplishments with Affinity Ceremonies
Harvard student groups hosted affinity celebrations for graduating students across the University on Monday and Tuesday, bringing together students of shared identity as part of this year’s Commencement festivities.
Harvard Affiliates Protest Book Bans, Laws Against Critical Race Theory
Roughly 30 Harvard affiliates rallied on the steps of Memorial Church Wednesday afternoon to denounce the banning of books and the elimination of educational curricula on queer theory, gender theory, and critical race theory in parts of the United States.
After Meeting with Harvard Admin on ‘Swatting’ Attack, Black Student Leaders Say Demands Remain Unanswered
Senior Harvard administrators did not agree to the demands of Black student leaders during an hourlong conversation Friday about the University’s response to the Leverett House “swatting” attack but pledged to meet with the students again, according to three people at the meeting.
Dozens of Black Harvard Groups Demand University Action After Leverett House ‘Swatting’ Attack
Forty-five Harvard organizations co-signed a letter to administrators detailing a list of demands following the University’s response to a “swatting” attack that saw four Black undergraduates ordered out of their rooms at gunpoint by Harvard University Police Department officers earlier this month.
Former NAACP President Condemns Black Man’s 2018 Death as Modern-Day Lynching at Kennedy School Talk
Roughly 70 Harvard affiliates gathered at Harvard Kennedy School Wednesday for a panel on modern-day lynching and racialized violence, centering around the 2018 death of William A. “Willie” Jones Jr.
Harvard Honors Black Alum Edwin Jourdain Jr. With Portrait in Winthrop House
Harvard honored Edwin Bush Jourdain Jr., Class of 1921, a Black College graduate who led efforts to dismantle the University’s segregationist freshman dorm policy, with a portrait in Winthrop House’s Senior Common Room.
Authors Discuss Implications of Cannabis Legalization at Harvard Institute of Politics Forum
Authors Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Tahira Rehmatullah discussed the racial implications of developing cannabis legislation at a Harvard Institute of Politics Forum Wednesday evening.
MacArthur ‘Genius’ McMillan Cottom Talks Black Identity, Pop Culture, and Women’s Rights at Radcliffe Lecture
Author and 2020 MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Tressie McMillan Cottom discussed Black identity, pop culture, and restrictions on women’s rights during a talk at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Thursday evening.
Newly Appointed HLS Professor Charles Delivers Talk on Shifting Legal Stances on Civil Rights
Harvard Law professor Guy-Uriel E. Charles discussed the decline of what he termed the “civil rights consensus” — a set of legal and political ideologies coming out of the American civil rights movement — at a Harvard Law School talk on Thursday.
Harvard Divinity School Professor Discusses Religion and the Movement for Reparations at HDS Webinar
Harvard Divinity School professor of African American Religious Studies Terrence L. Johnson discussed changing the conversation around reparations in a virtual lecture Monday evening.
Harvard Students Demonstrate for Denaming in Winthrop House Dining Hall, Citing Ties to Slavery
Harvard students led a demonstration in Winthrop House’s dining hall to push for the house’s denaming during dinner on Sunday, citing both John Winthrops’ ties to slavery.
Harvard Portraiture Project to Honor Black Lacrosse Player Lucien Alexis Jr. ’42
Lucien V. Alexis Jr. ’42, the first Black player on the Harvard Lacrosse team, will be honored in a commissioned painting as a part of the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations Portraiture Project, the Foundation announced at an event on Feb. 13.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 Names Members of City Reparations Task Force
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 announced the 10 members of the newly-formed Reparations Task Force to “study the lasting impacts of slavery in Boston,” according to a Feb. 7 press release.
Cambridge Officials Pledge Policing Reforms After Sayed Faisal Police Killing
Cambridge city officials pledged reforms to the city’s policing practices in a set of statements released Tuesday in response to the killing of Sayed Faisal in January.
Harvard Appoints Committee for Legacy of Slavery Memorial Project
Thirteen Harvard affiliates will spearhead the University’s Legacy of Slavery memorial project, which is tasked with memorializing the enslaved people who played a formative role in shaping Harvard, the school announced Wednesday.
Martin Luther King III Discusses Legacy of Civil Rights Movement at FAS Diversity Event
Martin Luther King III — a civil rights advocate and the oldest son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King — discussed the importance of love in fostering a “beloved community” during a Thursday event.
Racial Justice Advocates Discuss Institutional Change at IOP Forum
Racial justice advocates shared methods to spearhead racial equity and bolster institutional change in a Harvard Institute of Politics forum on Wednesday.
Harvard Pledges to Return Hundreds of Native American Hair Samples Housed at Peabody Museum
Harvard’s Peabody Museum on Thursday pledged to return hundreds of hair samples taken from Native American children who were enrolled in government-run schools in the 1930s and apologized for keeping the clippings in its collections.
Association of Black Harvard Women Hosts Fourth Annual Vigil for Black Transgender Lives
The Association of Black Harvard Women hosted its fourth annual vigil commemorating Black transgender lives lost in the past year on Saturday.
Rep. Barbara Lee Makes Case for Reparations at Harvard IOP Forum
United States Representative Barbara J. Lee (D-Calif.) called for the federal government to establish a “commission on truth, racial healing, and transformation” during a Harvard Institute of Politics forum on Thursday.
‘We Simply Have to Do It’: How Racial Justice Joined the Harvard Kennedy School Curriculum
Following years of student advocacy and the murder of George Floyd, the Harvard Kennedy School crafted a model mandatory course on race and racism in public policy.
Cambridge Moves Toward Creating Committees Focused on Racial Equity
The Cambridge City Council discussed plans to create a pair of committees seeking to address issues affecting the city’s Black residents during a Thursday meeting.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Laverne Cox to be Awarded Harvard’s Highest Honor for African and African American Studies
Seven individuals — including basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and actress Laverne Cox — will be awarded the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal.