Recognizing the History of the Slave Trade as Part of Rutgers University’s Past
Many universities in the U.S. have begun to acknowledge and make amends with their history and past in relation to slavery. Some of them include Georgetown University, Duke University, Princeton University, and even Rutgers University. The University has a history of the exploitation of slave labor for the benefit and wealth of the school. There are numerous affluent individuals who dedicated their lives and wealth to build the foundations of the school. However, it was not without reaping the benefits of slave trade and labor. As a stepping stone to reconcile with this past, it is proposed there be plaques put up on buildings and campuses named after founding individuals of the university to recognize the way in which they obtained their wealth that the school benefitted from while also recognizing the work and labor of the unnamed slaves.
When considering the design and imagery to be included on the plaque, it was important to avoid any potentially violent and traumatic imagery. Alexandria Russell, a Scarlet & Black Postdoctoral Fellow, suggested coming up with a logo that would be symbolic of these unnamed slaves that could be used throughout these plaques and potentially on the Sojourner Truth Apartments. A closed raised fist has long been a symbol of Black liberation and power as it began to be associated with the political organization, the Black Panthers, and has recently been reclaimed by the “Black Lives Matter” movement (Helligar). Additionally, trees are symbolic of growth, maturity, and prosperity. A tree’s roots help to stabilize itself for further growth and growth. The proposed logo to be featured on all the plaques in the center would be a closed raised fist acting as the roots and trunk of a tree with a fully formed tree growing out of it. The closed raised fist is symbolic of all the slaves who helped physically build the foundations of the University in some buildings and of being the reason why certain individuals had so much wealth to share with the institution. These enslaved persons were the foundation (the roots and trunk of the tree) of helping the university succeed and to the institutions’ eventual growth. The tree represents the growth of the University which wouldn’t have been possible without the enslaved. This symbolic logo would appear at the center of the plaque with copy and text recognizing the contributions of the individuals the buildings, are named after while also recognizing it wasn’t without the cost of slave labor. The logo will symbolically represent all the unnamed slaves and the labor that has helped make the University what it is today.
Part of the intention of the series of plaques is to facilitate more interest and call to action from students who stop to read them. Russell recommended getting together with like minded peers and fellow students in order to push for change within the University. Russell also mentioned the Scarlet & Black app that is available to download which is meant to simulate a virtual walking tour. Linking these two ideas results in an idea that combines the current research and initiative of Scarlet & Black with the opportunity to advocate for more change and reconciliation. This would be achieved by placing a QR code next to the plaque that invites viewers to scan it if they are interested in learning more or getting involved with the initiative. Once viewers scan the QR code, they will be prompted to download the Scarlet & Black app. There, more information about the history of enslavement in connection to the University would be available as well as a call to action for those who wish to get more involved. One of the suggested ideas from the Scarlet & Black committee is to have a required intro course for first-years that further details the universities involvement with slavery. The course could also cover more contemporary civil rights issues that have occurred at the University such as the first black student and student protests. The app would feature a petition for students to sign to encourage the University to consider the course. Additionally, there is a student led organization, “RU Past & Present,” that discusses the work of Scarlet & Black in relation to the current social climate. Kristin O’Brassill-Kulfan, a history professor at Rutgers University involved in the Scarlet & Black initiative also suggests thinking about bigger initiatives by getting involved with local advocacy to cause real change. She mentions New Brunswick has a very active chapter of the NAACP, which could be another organization to link on the app. There could be information to get involved with both organizations in the app.
The community of benefit goes beyond spreading awareness to the student-body on campus but should impact the more specific group of people who have been affected by this history, one way or another. One suggestion is offering a type of endowment such as a scholarship to the descendants of any slaves who were connected to the University and worked on the foundations. Russell suggests that this is possible with utilizing genealogists to trace and track the descendants down. However, she also details that is a long process that will likely not trace all living descendants and is limiting in the type of reparations and how many individuals it benefits. Georgetown has started to make attempts for its history of selling 272 slaves by doing something similar as what is being proposed here by offering funds that will support the descendants of the enslaved. However, despite devising and finalizing plans on how to carry this out, the proposal has not begun production. It was voted on and announced about a year ago today (Cuccia). Additionally, there is polarization between the students and the university on how the funds would be raised. The students passed a referendum to pay a $27 fee on their tuition bill to raise the funds for the reparations. The university decided to go against the vote and opted to raise the money through voluntary donations, saying it gave more individuals who wished to be involved with the initiative a way to participate (Lockhart). O’Brassill-Kulfan also brought up the point that located descendants could potentially feel uncomfortable being tied to this and creating a paper trail of their genealogical ancestry. Further, she goes on to suggest that it might be more beneficial to consider generalized benefits and services within a certain group most affected by this history. With this, it might be more wise to consider a scholarship service for African American students from New Jersey or other more generalized services of benefit. It’s also important to consider how the funds and money would be raised for this type of endowment and what the best way to go about it is.
The overall goal of the plaques is to not only bring awareness to the history of enslavement connected to the University. It is also to inspire a call to action within viewers to implement further reparations and reconciliation with this history. The utilization of the app next to the plaques will make finding out more information about the history or how to get involved easily accessible to everyone. This could enact drastic changes as long as students who are passionate enough about this push for the change. It is challenging to come to a solution about the proper or most beneficial reparations for the community of benefit. If we focus on making the community of benefit direct descendants, we risk not only excluding the general communities who have in some aspects been affected by this history, but not accurately locating all of the direct descendants. Alternative reparations like offering scholarships to African American students in New Jersey might be more beneficial.
Cuccia, Annemarie. “UPDATED: University Promises Action on GU 272; Student Advocacy
Group Remains Skeptical.” The Georgetown Voice, 23 Oct. 2020, georgetownvoice.com/2020/10/19/university-promises-action-on-gu-272-student-advocacy-group-remains-skeptical/.
Helligar, Jeremy. “The History Behind the Clenched Fist-And How It Became the Symbol for
Black Power.” Reader’s Digest, Reader’s Digest, 27 July 2020, www.rd.com/article/history-behind-the-clenched-first-and-the-symbol-for-black-power/.
Lockhart, P.R. “Georgetown University Plans to Raise $400,000 a Year for Reparations.” Vox,
Vox, 31 Oct. 2019, www.vox.com/identities/2019/10/31/20940665/georgetown-reparations-fund-slavery-history-colleges.
O’Brassill-Kulfan, Krisitin. Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2020
Russell, Alexandria. Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2020.
