In 2019, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow started a 14-member committee to determine the level of Harvard’s involvement in slavery and racial inequality. After over three years, the group unveiled a 100-page report outlining all the ways Harvard benefitted on the backs of the oppressed since its inception.
In response to this report, Harvard has committed $100 million dollars in various forms of reparations. But hold off on the standing ovation. It turns out that this may be the greatest form of virtue signaling the university has ever performed in its history.
Reuters explains the situation:
Harvard University is setting aside $100 million for an endowment fund and other measures to close the educational, social and economic gaps that are legacies of slavery and racism, according to an email the university’s president sent to all students, faculty and staff on Tuesday.
The move by the university in Massachusetts comes amid a wider conversation about the impacts of centuries of slavery, discrimination and racism. Some people have called for financial or other reparations.
Apparently, the report was very extensive.
The report laid out a history of slaves toiling on the campus and of the university benefiting from the slave trade and industries linked to slavery after it was outlawed in Massachusetts in 1783 – 147 years after Harvard’s founding. The report also documents Harvard excluding Black students and its scholars advocating racism.
Harvard has always been on the woke side of things. But the sad part is that there were wonderful, significant civil rights activists and reformers that came out of the halls of Harvard. Sadly, Harvard is willing to label them as racists and oppressors for the sake of being culturally relevant to the Left.
While Harvard had notable figures among abolitionists and in the civil rights movement, the report said, “The nation’s oldest institution of higher education … helped to perpetuate the era’s racial oppression and exploitation.”
They have decided to sacrifice their entire student body over the course of its existence on the altar of woke culture. The report put forth by the committee is published publically and outlines how they want the $100 million to be spent. I’ll leave you the breakdown below:
Recommendation 1: Engage and Support Descendant Communities by Leveraging Harvard’s Excellence in Education
Recommendation 2: Honor Enslaved People through Memorialization, Research, Curricula, and Knowledge Dissemination
Recommendation 3: Develop Enduring Partnerships with Black Colleges and Universities
Recommendation 4: Identify, Engage, and Support Direct Descendants
What is sad about these recommendations is that the very last one is the only one that makes sense and yet it’s at the bottom of their list. Top of the list is the furthering of their agenda which really is not about compensating those directly affected. That’s at the bottom.
Despite what Harvard may believe, there are other smart, observant people that are in this world. Many of them were quick to point out the truth behind these actions. It turns out that by committing that money, it may have shown just how little Harvard cares about their atrocities.
With an endowment over $50 Billion Harvard not likely to miss $100 million. https://t.co/gCY7833jZs
— GI Wilson (@GIWilson) May 7, 2022
In case we forgot, Harvard has over $50 Billion in the bank. When you break down the math, it’s shocking.
They just released a report that concluded everything good and profitable that Harvard has ever produced was done through the enslaving and mistreatment of people of color. Yet they are only willing to part with 0.2% of their total endowment.
Harvard should give their whole endowment of 53 billion away to show their true commitment to slavery reparations. 100 million is nothing to them and will do next to nothing for descendants of former slaves. It’s just high end virtue signaling at that level.
— Maroon Baboon (@maroon_baboon) May 7, 2022
But wait there’s more! Don’t forget that taxpayers gave $9 million in stimulus money to Harvard during the pandemic.
So after all the press, hand clapping, and encouraging tweets by the Left. It turns out that all of this was simply a giant case of virtue signaling. We see you, Harvard. You aren’t fooling anyone.
Harvard should give their whole endowment of 53 billion away to show their true commitment to slavery reparations. 100 million is nothing to them and will do next to nothing for descendants of former slaves. It’s just high end virtue signaling at that level.
— Maroon Baboon (@maroon_baboon) May 7, 2022
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