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By Newspot Nigeria Editorial Team
📍Cambridge, MA | June 22, 2025 — A major controversy is rocking Harvard University after revelations emerged that a lead researcher hired to uncover the institution’s historical ties to slavery was allegedly fired for “finding too many descendants” of enslaved people tied to the university’s founders and faculty.
Richard Cellini, a renowned figure in institutional accountability and slavery research, claims that his abrupt dismissal earlier this year was due to pressure from within the university to limit the scope of findings that could potentially expose Harvard to moral and financial obligations. “Every new person is a source of guilt and shame for Harvard,” one university finance official allegedly told him, according to Cellini.
A Haunting Discovery
The Harvard Legacy of Slavery Initiative was announced in 2022, backed by a $100 million commitment to atone for the university’s deep ties to slavery. Cellini, also known for spearheading the Georgetown Memory Project, had successfully identified nearly 500 living descendants of people enslaved by Harvard affiliates during his three-year tenure, in collaboration with genealogists from American Ancestors.
But as the list of descendants grew, internal pushback allegedly began. Cellini says he was privately told by university officials not to uncover too many descendants for fear of “bankrupting the university.” Harvard denies the accusations, stating no such directive was ever given.
An Abrupt Termination and Fallout
In January 2025, Cellini and his entire team were suddenly fired, with no public explanation provided. The work was quietly handed over to American Ancestors, who had been supporting the research but were now placed fully in charge.
Earlier resignations had already hinted at deeper fractures within the initiative. In 2023, two professors resigned from a committee to create a memorial for enslaved people, accusing the university of stalling the process. The initiative’s executive director, Roeshana Moore-Evans, also stepped down, citing internal conflict.
🎓 Harvard’s Deep Historical Ties to Slavery
Harvard’s link to slavery is not peripheral. Enslaved people built and maintained its early campuses, and key donors such as Isaac Royall Jr. — whose family crest once adorned the Harvard Law School seal — amassed wealth from plantations worked by enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and Massachusetts. Royall’s legacy directly funded the creation of Harvard Law School.
Descendants of enslaved people are still grappling with this inherited history. Jordan Lloyd, a screenwriter in Los Angeles, discovered through the initiative that she is descended from Tony and Cuba Vassall, two individuals enslaved and relocated from Antigua to Massachusetts in 1737 by Royall. The Vassalls’ son, Darby, became an abolitionist and activist. Lloyd described the revelation as both affirming and heartbreaking. “Why hasn’t this been resolved?” she asked.
Silence and Broken Promises
Despite Harvard’s 2022 public commitment to reconciliation and community engagement, Lloyd said her only contact with university leadership was “icy.” “Naively, I was expecting them to be welcoming,” she said. “But there’s been silence.”
To date, Harvard has disbursed over $4 million in grants and created partnerships with historically Black colleges. But critics argue that funding is not a substitute for full transparency or direct engagement with descendants.
Broader Implications and Calls for Transparency
This scandal comes as more than 100 universities across the U.S. investigate their own slavery ties. The Guardian newspaper — which conducted the exposé — is also confronting its historical ties to slavery and has pledged a 10-year restorative justice fund.
Scholars, activists, and descendant families are now calling on Harvard to release the full findings of Cellini’s team, reinstate descendant research under independent oversight, and commit to open dialogue with affected families.
“Truth-telling is messy,” Cellini told reporters. “But it is necessary.”
As the world watches how elite institutions reckon with the horrors of their past, Harvard’s actions may well set the tone for what genuine accountability — or lack thereof — looks like in the 21st century.
📌 For ongoing global and African diaspora coverage on historical justice, keep following Newspot Nigeria.
