Brown community members, Providence residents and local media are expected to attend a public discussion of the final report of the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice today at 4 p.m. in Salomon 101.
Released Oct. 18 after nearly three years of research and deliberation, the 106-page report examines Brown's ties to slavery and the transatlantic slave trade and recommends ways in which the University might address its past.
The recommendations - which include a public acknowledgement of the University's historical ties to slavery, a center for the study of slavery, a memorial commemorating the slave trade, increased recruitment of students from the West Indies and Africa and an annual day of remembrance - are all subject to approval by President Ruth Simmons and other University officials.
Both Simmons and James Campbell, the committee's chair and associate professor of history, have emphasized the importance of what they hope will be a substantive on-campus discussion of the report. Today's forum is expected to be the first in a series of discussions.
In an Oct. 18 campus-wide e-mail, Simmons said the report and its recommendations would be subject to debate in a public forum. She wrote that she will "issue a university response" suggesting possible action "when it is appropriate to do so."
Though there is no official timeline for action on the report's recommendations, Simmons told The Herald in an Oct. 21 interview that "we might have an outline of what our response might be" by next semester.
Immediately following the report's release, Campbell told The Herald he was confident the report would draw student interest. "I do think there'll be a lot of conversations," he said. "My suspicion is that a lot of students will read or dip into this report, and they're going to talk about it."
Though extensive national media coverage of the report focused on its recommendations, for committee members, the report's greatest significance lies in its other three sections, which address Brown's ties to slavery, models for restorative justice and the history of the reparations movement in America.
Several of the 17 students, faculty and staff who served on the committee will be present at tonight's forum, according to Media Relations Specialist Deborah Baum.
The University sent a media advisory earlier this week to relevant news outlets, and local media are expected to attend the event, Baum said.
Baum added that there are no formal speeches scheduled and that the event will focus on addressing feedback, questions and suggestions from members of the campus community and general public in attendance.
"(The committee) made sure this forum was scheduled to give people time to react and to give people time to read over the report," she said.
The full report and supporting materials, such as historical documents and video clips from public programs hosted by the committee, are available on the University's Web site. Print copies of the report can be ordered from the University and are for sale at the Brown Bookstore for $7.50.
