Harvard Chan School Launches Initiatives to Address Racial InequitiesHarvard Chan School Launches Initiatives to Address Racial Inequities Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health is implementing several initiatives this summer to address systemic racial inequities as part of the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative (H&LS). Reparation Projects Through the Reparative Partnership Program, Harvard Chan School is supporting two projects that aim to address inequities affecting descendant communities in Boston and Cambridge. * Nubian Square Education Project: Focuses on educating children and adults about the impact of redlining and urban renewal in Boston’s Nubian Square neighborhood. * Affinity Spaces for Native Students: Develops affinity spaces and programs for Native undergraduate and graduate students to address inequities faced by Native communities. Du Bois Scholars Program The H&LS Du Bois Scholars Program is hosting 11 undergraduate students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities for nine-week research internships. Students are exploring various health-related projects, including the health effects of pollution. Background The H&LS initiative was established in response to a report that highlighted Harvard’s historical ties to slavery and its legacy of racial inequality. Harvard Chan School’s participation in these initiatives demonstrates its commitment to addressing these inequities and fostering a more equitable society.
July 24, 2024 – Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health will launch several initiatives this summer to address systemic racial inequities as part of the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative (H&LS), including launching two reparations projects with Boston community partners and bringing undergraduate students to campus for summer research internships.
The H&LS was founded in response to the Presidential Commission on Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery’s report, published in April 2022. The report found that Harvard’s rise to global prominence was shaped by the university’s ties to slavery in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries and to the legacy of slavery well into the 20th century, including enslaved people on campus, funding from donors involved in the slave trade, and intellectual leadership that obstructed efforts to achieve racial equality.
Harvard Chan School is participating in two projects that received grants under the inaugural Reparative Partnership Program. The grants support innovative ideas that address systemic inequities affecting descendant communities, particularly those in Boston and Cambridge, and emphasize building partnerships with community-based organizations.
One project focuses on educating community members, both children and adults, about the impact of redlining and urban renewal in Boston’s Nubian Square neighborhood, focusing on historical resilience and ongoing struggles for equality. The project includes walking tours and workshops and is led by Ra’Shaun Nalls, director of community engagement in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Harvard Chan School, in partnership with the organizations Live Like a Local Tours Boston and Afrimerican Academy.
Another project aims to develop affinity spaces and programs for Native undergraduate and graduate students at academic institutions in Boston and Cambridge, to address inequities facing Native communities, such as college enrollment rates that are lower than the national average. The project is led by Shoba Ramanadhan, associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard Chan School; Cedric Woods, director of the Institute for New England Native American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston); and Tiffany Donaldson—UMass Boston psychology professor, associate dean for research, innovation and community partnerships, and director of the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development in the College of Education and Human Development—in collaboration with student leaders from area institutions.
In addition to the projects, Harvard Chan School is hosting 11 undergraduate students this summer as part of the H&LS Du Bois Scholars Program. The program brings students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the U.S. to Harvard for a nine-week research internship. Students gain hands-on experience through mentoring, and at the end of the program, present their research to fellow scientists, faculty mentors, and lab members. Du Bois Scholars at Harvard Chan School are working on a wide range of projects, from the health effects of pollution to the different factors that influence mosquito-borne malaria transmission.
–Jay Lau
Photo: Stephanie Mitchell
