Brown Universites Role in the Slave Trade

Ruth Simmons wanted her team to research Brown University's role in the salve trade for two reasons. First, she wanted to know the schools history. Her second reason was to get the facts out there to the people. When Simmons started a group to research Brown's role in the slave trade she did it for two reasons, to know the history herself and to get Brown's knowledge out to other people.

"Brown scholars should do likewise-get the facts out there and clear the air" (Fitzgerald 73). Simmons feels that Brown should stop trying to hide things and tell people the truth. By giving the public answers to some of their questions, they would not feel that Brown was trying to hide anything. Ruth, as well as the other members of the group, felt that this would be a good reason to research Brown's history in the slave trade. Getting the truth out there to the public is very important to her and her group.

"This is an effort designed to involve the campus community in a discovery of the meaning of our past" (Fitzgerald 73). Simmons and her group designed this research project to give students and faculty a chance to discover the schools past. The schools history is just as important as the present and more people should know about it. This school was set up for a specific reason, just as the original founders did certain things for a reason. Ruth feels that finding the meaning of Brown's past is reason enough to research the history and role in the slave trade.

"We will not achieve consensus, but provide factual information and critical perspectives"