The Princeton Theological Seminary has received what's believed to be the largest grant of $28 million for slavery reparations. According to CNN, the new move will be carried out over the course of five years and will give out five doctoral fellowships and 30 new scholarships to descendants of people who were enslaved and marginalized groups.
The money will also contribute to the hiring of new scholars and programs that teach the history of slavery, as well as the renaming of certain locations on campus after prominent African-Americans. The changes will cost about $1 million a year. "These responses are intended as acts of repentance that will lead to lasting impact within our community," John White, dean of students and vice president of student relations said. "This is the beginning of the process of repair that will be ongoing."
CNN notes that the Seminary did not own slaves and was not built by slaves but it did receive financial contributions from Southern sources such as slaveowners and congregations that are directly tied to slavery.
"The Seminary's ties to slavery are a part of our story," M. Craig Barnes, the seminary's president, said in a statement. "It is important to acknowledge that our founders were entangled with slavery and could not envision a fully integrated society."
