Harvard’s ‘Legacies Of Slavery’ Report Openly Brags About The Ivy’s Racist Admissions Policies

Harvard’s ‘Legacies Of Slavery’ Report Openly Brags About The Ivy’s Racist Admissions Policies

Laurel Duggan on April 27, 2022

Harvard University boasted about its race-based admissions policies in its “Legacies of Slavery” report Tuesday which detailed the university’s long history of involvement in slavery and segregation, and recommended a “significant monetary commitment” to address past abuses.

The report, conducted by Harvard faculty at the request of the school’s president, Lawrence S. Bacow, closed with a section titled “Harvard’s Role as a Champion of Racial Diversity in Higher Education” bragging about the university’s longstanding use of “race-conscious” admissions, which in practice involves discriminating against certain ethnic groups to admit more minority students.

The report on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery documents Harvard’s ties to slavery—direct, financial, and intellectual—and offers seven recommendations that will guide the work of reckoning and repair https://t.co/OBh50LG54h

— Harvard University (@Harvard) April 26, 2022

“The 1970s also marked the point at which the University became a proponent of the consideration of race in admissions and a leader in defending such practices,” the report said. “Harvard University, along with several other leading educational institutions, expressed unequivocal support for race-conscious admissions when the US Supreme Court first considered a challenge to these efforts.”

Harvard’s admissions policies factor in the race of applicants as part of its effort to bolster racial diversity on campus, and have been accused of discriminating against Asian and white applicants. A lawsuit against Harvard for alleged racial discrimination against Asian students in admissions is set to be heard by the Supreme Court.

The report also touted the history of Harvard presidents advocating for race-based admissions practices since the 1978 Regents of the University of California v. Bakke case, in which Harvard’s then-president defended the University of California’s discriminatory policies in an amicus brief, according to the report. The Bakke case ushered in a wave of new affirmative action policies in higher education.

NEW: Supreme Court asked to outlaw race-based college admissions. Group challenging Harvard admissions policy says it files appeal asking court to over 2003 Grutter decision. pic.twitter.com/6JYSZ3KzF0

— Greg Stohr (@GregStohr) February 25, 2021

University leaders also argued racial diversity on campus was imperative for students’ educational experiences, according to the report.