Not so long ago, I read an exploration of how the Sackler family used their philanthropy of museums and universities to launder their reputation and distract attention from the fact that their billions were earned from human suffering.

Craig Wilder's Ebony and Ivy shows how that could only work if you ignore or santise the history of American universities themselves. Many of them, including many of the most famous, are built on land and with money given by slave traders, have historic buildings constructed and maintained by enslaved labour, and continue to enjoy eye-wateringly large endowments that ultimately derive from the exploitation and suffering of people of colour. Moreover, Wilder shows how university faculty and administrators were active conspirators in the institutionalising and promotion of scientific racism and white supremacy. Wilder marshalls an impressive array of archival materials to produce an eye-opening, if often queasy, read. ( )

This is another must-read for people looking into the depths of institutional racism. It details the complicity of the ivy league schools in the US with the slave trade, showing details of how they were originally established to educate the sons of slave-traders who mainly lived on the islands. It discusses ways in which these colleges and universities that are extolled for being "great" owned their owned slaves, allowed students to bring slaves with them, stole territory from indigenous tribes and built up their endowments with money derived from slavery. I came away thinking how we need to seriously rethink what. passes as a superior education. ( )