Student protesters at Harvard Law School are calling for more concrete action on racism after securing the removal of the Royall family seal, which had been the school's official emblem for 80 years. The seal featured the crest of Isaac Royall Jr, a brutal slaveholder whose endowment founded the law school in 1817. Administrators announced the seal's retirement in March, citing potential associations with slavery.
However, many students say the decision is bittersweet. Alexander Clayborne, a third-year law student and organizer of the Royall Must Fall campaign, described the removal as “probably the easiest thing they could have done” and “the thing they can do that’s probably going to create the least amount of institutional change.” Students are pushing for less symbolic reforms, including greater study of racism and imperialism in the curriculum and the establishment of a diversity and inclusion office.
Keaton Nichols, another third-year law student, called the seal “just the tip of the iceberg for what is a deeply problematic systematic racism problem at Harvard Law School.” Students have been occupying the student centre since February, hosting their own teach-ins and speakers. They feel the administration is waiting them out, with Nichols saying, “The school views us as disposable… Therefore it’s really important to just keep screaming.”
Dean Martha Minow sent an email pledging support for “building a truly diverse community” but suggested the protesters were a small portion of the community. Students report that meetings with officials have been unproductive, with Clayborne stating, “They basically stonewalled us.” The campaign for change continues as students demand more than symbolic gestures.
