RI and Brown University and the Slave Trade

[gam197]

https://www.golocalprov.com/news/Battle-Over-Columbus-Statue-in-Providence-Emerges-As-Statues-Are-Destroy

A Providence City Councilman has said that the historic statue of Christopher Columbus in his ward, which has been subject to vandalism in the past, should remain in its current location, as statues are being destroyed around the country.

A leading Civil Rights leader and former State Representative, however, is calling on the Rhode Island Island School of Design (RISD) to take the statue in, both for its historic and artistic value — and to preserve it.> “It’s history, and I know that Columbus did some bad things. But you can look at Brown University and its slave history. We need to figure out where we go from here — it’s been there 127 .”

Columbia universit was funded by the slave trade. I see a great deal of talk about the south and the confederate flag but how about the north.

The Browns, one of the great mercantile families of colonial America, were Rhode Island slave traders. At least six of them – James and his brother Obadiah, and James’s four sons, Nicholas, John, Joseph, and Moses – ran one of the biggest slave-trading businesses in New England, and for more than half a century the family reaped huge profits from the slave trade. “When James Brown sent the Mary to Africa in 1736, he launched Providence into the Negro traffic and laid the foundation for the Brown fortune. From this year until 1790, the Browns played a commanding role in the New England slave trade.”[1] Their donations to Rhode Island College were so generous that the name was changed to Brown University.

http://slavenorth.com/rhodeisland.htm

Though Rhode
Islanders lagged behind their Massachusetts neighbors in entering the trade, they soon made up for
their slow start. The first recorded transatlantic
slaving voyages from the colony embarked in the
early years of the eighteenth century. By the close
of the trade, more than a century later, Rhode
Islanders had mounted at least a thousand voyages,
carrying over one-hundred thousand Africans into
New World slavery.
While such totals are far
smaller than those
amassed by the Portuguese, British, Spanish, and French, they are
extraordinarily high in
the American context

A few Rhode Island families made substantial
fortunes in the trade. William and Samuel Vernon,
Newport merchants who would later earn a place
in American history for their role in financing the
creation of the United States Navy, sponsored
more than thirty African slaving ventures. The
> D’Wolfs of Bristol were the largest slave trading
> family in all of North America, mounting more
> than eighty transatlantic voyages, the vast majority
of them in defiance of state and federal law

rown.edu/Research/Slavery_Justice/documents/SlaveryAndJustice.pdf

Let’s not forget the “triangle trade” 30 rum distilleries of which 22 were located in Newport RI.

 

[Nepperhan]

Well, the same can be said about Catholic institutions. As much as we don’t like to acknowledge, Georgetown and Notre Dame had their founding financed at least in part by slave labor.

It is less well known that after this Notre Dame barred black applicants.

 

[gam197]

And Harvard…

Isaac Royall Jr. was a wealthy merchant who donated lands and funds to the university. He also funded the first professorship in law. The Royalls were so involved in the slave trade, that, “the labor of slaves underwrote the teaching of law in Cambridge.” [10] The Royall’s legacy at Harvard is lasting, Harvard Law School adopted the Royall family crest as a part of its school crest.

 

[tuscany]

And Yale…
He was in the slave trade as well as owning slaves. Why aren’t the offended protesting for the name of Yale to be immediately changed?

And the Jesuits…
They owned slaves.

And the list goes on and on. So why are only certain names offensive and need to be changed immediately, and not others for doing the very same thing???

The flat out hypocrisy always amazes me.

 

[gam197]

And Yale…
He was in the slave trade as well as owning slaves. Why aren’t the offended protesting for the name of Yale to be immediately changed?

And the Jesuits…
They owned slaves.

And the list goes on and on. So why are only certain names offensive and need to be changed immediately, and not others for doing the very same thing???

The flat out hypocrisy always amazes me.

At least with Brown I think it has to do with its school policy. Since Planned Parenthood moved in, the recruits for clinic escorts have come from Brown Univerisity and I don’t know if these students get credit or what but they have been escorts for at least 25+ years.

Brown is in bed with Planned Parenthood so they are going to be the last university to be attacked even though their name actually comes from a well known slave transportation family. Hypocrisy.

Protestors at Oxford are demanding Cecil Rhodes statue be taken down. It makes sense that Brown should change its name. Brown University is always about social justice.

Cecil Rhodes: Protesters demand Oxford statue removal

A group of Labour politicians called on Oxford University to "decolonise" and take the statue down.

www.bbc.com

 

[gam197]

Is there a news article associated with this? You’re posting in World News, there’s supposed to be an article.

edited to add, I moved it to Casual Discussion because I’m not seeing a question that fits any of the other categories.

Sorry forgot news article but did post it. There is a debate going on with what to do with Christopher Columbus, should it be at RI School of Design which has an a small art museum that I have visited on occasion or left where it is on Federal hill in the Italian neighborhood. RI slave history and Brown was brought up and that is always interesting.

 

[tuscany]

I wonder if all the Rhodes Scholars will now protest and disavow any acknowledgement of them having achieved that award ? I mean, who in the world would want it known that they were so closely associated with a racist’s name ??