--- title: Harvard Law Recommends Removing Shield With Ties to Slavery description: It's based off the bookplate of a slave owner canonical: https://time.com/4248102/harvard-law-school-supports-removing-shield-with-ties-to-slavery/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-04T19:47:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T15:38:19.290Z article:section: Politics og:title: Harvard Law Recommends Removing Shield With Ties to Slavery og:description: It's based off the bookplate of a slave owner og:url: https://time.com/4248102/harvard-law-school-supports-removing-shield-with-ties-to-slavery/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf03f42ac2074d6f2/6988804ecd1bba25876ffb55/98954211.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Former Dean Of Harvard Law School Nominated To U.S. Supreme Court og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Harvard Law Recommends Removing Shield With Ties to Slavery twitter:description: It's based off the bookplate of a slave owner twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf03f42ac2074d6f2/6988804ecd1bba25876ffb55/98954211.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Harvard Law School Supports Removing Shield With Ties to Slavery > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d79f2a3f-9df8-4bce-8c53-b7f929cd4187&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d79f2a3f-9df8-4bce-8c53-b7f929cd4187&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=d79f2a3f-9df8-4bce-8c53-b7f929cd4187&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d79f2a3f-9df8-4bce-8c53-b7f929cd4187&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Mar 4, 2016 7:47 PM UTC  CAMBRIDGE, MA - MAY 10: The entrance to Harvard Law School campus is seen May 10, 2010 on the Harvard University Law School Campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. U.S. President Barack Obama announced today the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, former Harvard Law School Dean from 2003-2009, to the Supreme Court succeeding retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images) CAMBRIDGE, MA - MAY 10: The entrance to Harvard Law School campus is seen May 10, 2010 on the Harvard University Law School Campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. U.S. President Barack Obama announced today the nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, former Harvard Law School Dean from 2003-2009, to the Supreme Court succeeding retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images) Darren McCollester—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Mar 4, 2016 7:47 PM UTC Harvard Law school wants the College to consider [scrapping its official shield](http://today.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/memo%5Fto%5Fcorporation%5Fminow-030316.pdf), which faced has faced fierce scrutiny for its connection to a known slave-owner. The school’s dean Martha Minow wrote a letter to alumni on Friday indicating she endorses a committee’s recommendation to retire the shield, which serves as a sort of logo for the school, because “its association with slavery does not represent the values and aspirations of the Harvard Law School and because it has become a source of division rather than commonality in our community.” [The Harvard Corporation](http://www.harvard.edu/about-harvard/harvards-leadership/president-and-fellows-harvard-corporation), the board made up of Harvard College’s president and fellows, will ultimately decide whether or not the school scraps the shield, but Minow says the Law School will remain committed to “addressing our history, and ongoing questions of injustice within our community and beyond” no matter what they decide. Last October, students began calling on the school to distance itself from the shield, which was based off of a bookplate used by Isaac Royall, Sr., whose son was among the schools earliest donors. The Royall family amassed its wealth through the work of slaves on a sugar plantation in Antigua and a farm in Massachusetts. A group calling itself “Royall Must Fall” led the effort to distance the school from the shield. “These symbols set the tone for the rest of the school and the fact that we hold up the Harvard crest as something to be proud of when it represents something so ugly is a profound disappointment and should be a source of shame for the whole school,” Alexander J. Clayborne, a student involved in the effort, told the [_Harvard Crimson_](http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/11/2/harvard-law-seal-change/) last year. In late Nov., an official committee was formed to review the status of the shield. The dean shared the committee’s recommendations, which include retiring the shield, on Friday. Harvard is one of many schools where students have protested historical landmarks, buildings, and traditions they feel have links to racial injustice. Harvard recently [stopped using the term “master” in academic titles](http://www.bbc.com/news/education-35726878), also because of its relation to slavery. At Princeton, students have [urged the school](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/23/nyregion/at-princeton-addressing-a-racist-legacy-and-seeking-to-remove-woodrow-wilsons-name.html?%5Fr=0) to “publicly acknowledge the racist legacy of Woodrow Wilson,” who served as U.S. President and President of the school. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4248102/harvard-law-school-supports-removing-shield-with-ties-to-slavery/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4248102/harvard-law-school-supports-removing-shield-with-ties-to-slavery/"},"headline":"Harvard Law School Supports Removing Shield With Ties to Slavery","datePublished":"2016-03-04T19:47:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T15:38:19.290Z","description":"It's based off the bookplate of a slave owner","url":"https://time.com/4248102/harvard-law-school-supports-removing-shield-with-ties-to-slavery/","keywords":["College","Higher Education","Harvard"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf03f42ac2074d6f2/6988804ecd1bba25876ffb55/98954211.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf03f42ac2074d6f2/6988804ecd1bba25876ffb55/98954211.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Former Dean Of Harvard Law School Nominated To U.S. Supreme Court","caption":"Former Dean Of Harvard Law School Nominated To U.S. Supreme Court","creditText":"Darren McCollester—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4248102/harvard-law-school-supports-removing-shield-with-ties-to-slavery/","name":"Harvard Law School Supports Removing Shield With Ties to Slavery"}}]}] ```