Members of the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice expressed varying levels of concern about the number of students who, according to a poll conducted by The Herald, said they had not heard of the committee or did not intend to read its final report.
The poll, which was administered to 648 undergraduates in late October and early November and had a 3.8 percent margin of error, found that 44.9 percent of respondents had either not heard of the committee or did not intend to read its final report. 36.3 percent of respondents said they only planned to read the recommendations made by the committee, while 17.9 percent said they planned to read all or most of the report.
James Campbell, associate professor of history and chair of the committee, said he is "not surprised or gravely disappointed" by the poll numbers.
"Brown students are busy with a lot of things to do. It is understandable," he said.
Campbell encouraged students to read the whole report, noting that anyone who is willing to invest two hours in reading the report is likely to find it "abundantly rewarding."
"We've done what we can and I hope that over a long period of time more people will read it, learn from it and talk about it," he said.
Omer Bartov, professor of history and member of the committee, said it is critical for students to read the report to learn about the history of Brown.
"Students are here to learn and become more enlightened," he said. "The report seeks to enlighten us."
Bartov was critical of poll respondents who indicated little interest in the committee or the report. "Shame on them," he said. Bartov added that students should read the entire report to fully understand it, noting that they do not have to agree with everything it says.
"We have worked hard on the report. If students are trying to take shortcuts they are misunderstanding what learning is all about," he said.
Professor of Sociology and Africana Studies Paget Henry said he is "both disappointed and concerned" by the poll figures. Starting next year, Henry said he plans to include certain portions of the report as assigned reading in his sociology class, SO 15, Sec. 1: "Economic Development and Social Change." Henry said discussing Brown's connections to the slave trade will give students a more concrete understanding of the subject.
"A small section of the class covers the triangular trade and the report uncovers the fact that the Brown brothers were deeply involved in it. The report can be used to make the topic more real to students," he said.
One student interviewed by The Herald expressed disappointment with the level of interest regarding the committee and its report.
"It's almost tragic," wrote Mindy Phillips '10 in an e-mail to The Herald. "I would hope that every Brown student would want to read the committee's report because we've inherited the history of Brown, and we're part of an institution that benefited from slavery," she wrote. "If students won't even read the report, how can we foster a continuing discussion about the history of slavery, its effects today, and what we can do to redress the crimes we committed?"
Phillips wrote that she decided to read the report after attending Campbell's lecture titled "Uncovering Our Past: Brown University and the Slave Trade," during Orientation.
Nungari Mwangi '10 encouraged other students to read the whole report, noting that the historical details outlined in it were "valuable in explaining Brown's connection with slavery and the slave trade."
