Harvard University outsources Slavery Remembrance Program, lays off staff with same day notices

Employees were notified about their termination on Thursday — effective the same day.

By Lindsay Shachnow

Harvard University laid off the staff members contributing to the research component of its Slavery Remembrance Program on Thursday. The program is part of the $100 million Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative. 

Employees were notified about their termination on Thursday — effective the same day. Staff members said they had no prior knowledge about potential layoffs before the announcement was made, the Harvard Crimson reported. 

The project’s director, Richard J. Cellini, accused Sara Bleich, who oversees the Legacy of Slavery initiative, of trying to repress the number of descendants uncovered in the project, according to the paper. Cellini reportedly gave university officials an ultimatum: fire him, or allow the program to do its work properly.

Cellini was let go on Thursday.

Still, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Advisory Council member, praised Cellini’s work in Thursday’s press release from Harvard.

“Richard Cellini’s superb efforts launched us on our way on this historically important mission, and now it is time for American Ancestors to take the lead in what will be a systematic, scholarly sustained effort to establish the facts about this dark chapter in our university’s history, and begin the long journey of healing,” Gates said. “We are indebted to Richard for his early guidance and his ambitious leadership.”

Harvard University first partnered with American Ancestors — a national center for family history, heritage, and culture — in 2022 to “identify the direct descendants of enslaved individuals who labored on Harvard’s campus and of those who were enslaved by Harvard leadership, faculty, or staff,” according to the university.

Now, Harvard is outsourcing the entire Remembrance Program to American Ancestors. 

“We understand from our extensive experience that tracing families descended from enslaved individuals is a complex, time-intensive process filled with significant challenges,” Ryan J. Woods, President and CEO of American Ancestors, said in a statement. “We are committed to advancing this critical research to help Harvard establish meaningful connections and engagement with living descendants.”

Records of family lineage created from the program will be donated to the 10 Million Names project, an initiative to collect the names of 10 million people of African descent who were enslaved in America.

Harvard spokesperson Sarah Kennedy-O’Reilly and American Ancestors spokesperson Claire Vail both declined to comment about the layoffs.

“We cannot comment on personnel matters,” Kennedy-O’Reilly told Boston.com.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify that only the research component of the Remembrance program has been outsourced, affecting the members of staff from that specific area of the initiative.

Source: Boston.com