Harvard University to spend $100 million to redress its slavery ties

Harvard University said it is committing $100 million to study and redress the Ivy League institution's historical ties to slavery, with a new report finding its staff and faculty had enslaved more than 70 people. 

On Tuesday, Harvard President Larry Bacow announced the historic pledge, along with the release of the 100-plus page report on the institution's legacy of slavery. The report also included recommendations for reparations from a committee dedicated to the issue. 

Bacow noted Harvard had relied heavily on slavery for nearly 150 years after its founding in 1636, with several of the university's presidents counted among those who enslaved other people. The enslaved individuals "worked and lived on campus, where they cared for Harvard presidents and professors and fed generations of Harvard students," the report noted.