Academic

William and Mary's Slavery Education Project

By propertyprof

The Board of Visitors at William and Mary have just approved an eight-year education project regarding William and Mary's history with slavery.   The "Lemon Project," named for a slave owned by the College in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, will focus on research and education regarding slavery at the College and in Williamsburg.  Robert Engs, a University of Pennsylvania history professor, will run the project.   Here's a story about it.

Provost P. Geoffrey Feiss said of the project, "In my personal opinion, an apology from a university doesn't mean much ? I can apologize, but I wasn't here .... I think the university committing to studying a group of people and their impact on the community means so much more."

Terry Meyers, a W&M English professor, has more about the College's history here; and I have another piece of the story,  about W&M's history professor Thomas Dew here.  Dew was a leading proslavery theorist, an important legal historian--and a key figure in my study, University, Court, and Slave, which I hope to finish one of these days.

Alfred Brophy

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on April 17, 2009 (boomark / email).