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Appointed by President Ruth Simmons in 2003, the Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice has been charged with investigating the University's historical relationship to slavery and its current role in fulfilling its newfound dedication to justice. The group of faculty, students, and administrators spent years confronting this conflicted history, and recently released their final word on the subject: slavery, they say, was "unjust."
"The issue of slavery is wrought with such discord as to render any inquiry of this type necessarily difficult," reports Charlotte Montgomery '08, student chair of the committee. "There was great diversity of opinion within our council, and I initially simply couldn't be bothered with the bleeding hearts of some of these do-gooders. After much debate, anger, tears, and agreement to disagree, we have culminated our efforts with [the report]."
A section entitled "Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Brown University" outlines old Brown's deep ties to the industry. The thievery of human beings from their African homeland and their eventual sale filled the coffers of much of the family from which Brown takes its name: the Browns. The committee investigated the justice of this act from all angles before reaching a conclusion.
"Though this trade may seem obviously unjust to a captured African, it is important to consider that for some it might not be," explained Montgomery. "John Brown and his fellow Rhode Island merchants invested a lot in their slave voyages, so surely they must deserve some reward. To free those captured may have ruined those men, and if our University would still exist without their support, our endowment would be even lower than it is today. Does that seem fair to you?"
The committee decided that the Browns were entitled to some return on their investment on voyages, such as that of the Sally, but to rake in such spoils without providing a standard of maritime comfort to those aboard was simply unjust.
"To deny those people their innate right to sunrise yoga on deck, costume night at the disco, weekly Prime Rib at the buffet, snorkel lessons, and ample time to procure hair wraps when in port is simply unconscionable," noted committee member Dr. Renee Bandicoot, Professor of Sociology.
Another bone of contention arose from the role of slave labor in the construction of University Hall. The committee decided that though Brown got a great deal by utilizing the donated toils of local slaves, the backbreaking loads and long hours imposed on workers were, in fact, not fair.
"After first making the conjecture that slaves would have been honored to 'take one for the team' in working on [University Hall], we came to the shocking realization that these men weren't even on the team. In fact, they were forced to work without even getting to attend the university, much less get one of the airy rooms on the corner. Those rooms went to boys who did nothing more for Brown than to pay tuition. That is not what I have in mind when I think of justice," explained Bandicoot.
Setting its sights on the present, the committee issued a set of recommendations for the University to give due recognition to our legacy of injustice. In recognition of the grievances suffered by those aboard the ship Sally, reparations will be paid in the form of an all-inclusive Disney cruise.
