Local black leaders and historians praise slavery and justice report
Max Winograd
Issue date: 11/1/06 Section: Slavery & Justice


Black leaders and historians across the state have praised the 106-page report of the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice for its public acknowledgement of the University and state's ties to slavery and the slave trade.

Released Oct. 18, the report's recommendations include the creation of a center to study slavery as well as efforts to boost education among local students of color about their state's history.

"Brown had so much significant development on the backs of slaves," said Clifford Montiero, president of the Providence branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Though the committee took nearly three years to release its report, Montiero added that President Ruth Simmons and James Campbell, associate professor of history and the committee's chair, should be congratulated for releasing the report "in a timely manner."

The committee recommended making public the University's historical ties to slavery and specified that the proposed center have "a significant educational outreach component, including workshops and curriculum development, to help teachers integrate topics related to slavery and justice into their classrooms."

Though some have criticized the report for stopping short of supporting reparations, both Montiero and Joaquina Teixeira, executive director of the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, said they did not expect the committee would recommend monetary reparations.

"I'm sure there were members of the committee that might call for (monetary) reparations," Teixeira said. "But I don't think that most corporations, when they look at themselves, would come up with such a recommendation."

Teixeira lauded the report as "intriguing," "unprecedented" and "necessary," and said the board of directors of her organization will meet Nov. 15 to discuss and compose a formal response. According to Teixeira, Black Heritage Society board members have been conveying their excitement about the report, which she characterized as "one of the most incredible gifts and repairs on society," in e-mail and telephone conversations
The committee recommended that, in addition to raising historical awareness on campus, Brown increase its efforts in inner-city schools to fix what some say is a broken education system.

According to Montiero, 80 percent of the students in Providence public schools are minorities. "Brown has some education programs that are experimental in nature in place across the country. I'd rather see them applied to Providence city schools," he said.

As an institution with strong financial resources, Brown should partner with black organizations throughout the state as it moves forward in its study of the state's history, Teixeira said. "How do we get to the point where we discuss remedies that move us all to a place where we can discuss the past?" she asked.

In keeping with the spirit of the committee's historical inquiry, some of the state's most prominent historical organizations have recently stepped up their efforts to include slavery as a topic in tours and exhibits.

The John Brown House on Power Street, which is operated by the Rhode Island Historical Society, now features an exhibit on the Sally, a ship owned by John Brown that was used to transport slaves. The exhibit was inspired by a similar exhibit in the Museum of Rhode Island History, located in Aldrich House on Benevolent Street, according to Bernard Fishman, executive director of the RIHS.

The Rhode Island Black Heritage Society has long taught the state's notable ties to the slave trade, Teixeira said. According to Jay Coughtry's book, "Notorious Triangle," over 100,000 slaves were transported through Rhode Island before the trade was outlawed in 1807, making Rhode Island the only state or colony in New England to have long-term commerce sustained by the slave trade.

"We've been teaching that history in context for a very, very long time - how it connects to Rhode Island, and how it connects to our city," Teixeira said.

She praised the University's report, but added that further historical examination is necessary.
"It would be great to see some biographical information including those that lived in the John Brown House and worked on actual buildings," Teixeira said. She added that she was disappointed that those conducting research for the committee did not utilize the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society's resources in their work.

"I was hoping for more engagement with students doing research for the committee," Teixeira said. "None of the students came through (the Black Heritage Society)."

According to Montiero, private organizations and institutions "have been hiding" their ties to slavery - something he said the report has helped rectify. Montiero also suggested the state's official full name, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, may have contributed to Southern states adoption of the term "plantation."

"The historical record at last has been looked into. For me that was a critical piece," said Teixeira, who cited Emory University as another private institution that is engaging in "an ongoing dialogue" on the topic of slavery and justice.

Teixeira emphasized a need to sustain the report's recommendations for generations to come. "We need a consistent, vigilant effort to change the norms in society, stereotypes and expectations," she said. "The primary piece is getting educators familiar with this history in the long run."

Montiero said the committee's public revelations might cause discomfort for descendants of those implicated in the report, but its contribution to public knowledge outweighs these concerns.

"Everybody is not happy to have the truth told. This embarrasses the families involved (in the slave trade)," Montiero said. "They need to be embarrassed, because their money was made on the backs of slaves."

"We need to open up and read history as it really was - not whitewashed," he said.
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