Cambridge University, one of the most established universities in the world, came to the fore with a striking research today. A team formed by the university’s vice-chancellor Stephen Toope investigated the university’s history of slavery and came up with a controversial conclusion.
The “Slavery Legacy Advisory Group” team, formed to study the university’s own history, concluded that throughout its history the university did not employ slaves. But even though the university never owned a ‘slave’, it turned out that it received funding from institutions and individuals who were involved in the slave trade in the past.
Cambridge played a role in facilitating the slave trade:
According to the information shared by the team in their report called ‘The Legacy of Slavery’, Cambridge’s colleges had close relations with the East India Company. However, the Royal African Company also had relations with Cambridge. Both of these companies were known to be active in the slave trade.
While the university received donations from these two companies, it also invested directly in another company, the ‘South Sea Company’, which was active in the slave trade. According to the report shared by the university, these commercial activities helped facilitate the slave trade and provided many financial benefits to the university.
Cambridge will take action on its own past mistakes:
With this report, the university also announced that it will take action to make up for the mistakes in its past. Accordingly, Cambridge will establish a center to study slavery and strengthen its existing relations with universities in Caribbean and West African countries.
In addition, the number of postgraduate scholarships offered to black students who are British citizens and students from African and Caribbean countries will be increased. An artwork symbolizing the achievements and contributions of black academics will also be commissioned.
On the other hand, the university rejected the application of the Faculty of Jesus to remove the statue erected in memory of Tobias Russtat, who invested in the Royal African Company.
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