Global Anti-Blackness and the Legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

The Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School, alongside UNESCO and the U.S. Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice at the Department of State, Desirée Cormier Smith, presented a major event on global efforts to prevent modern slavery and combat anti-Black racism in March 2024.

The Global Anti-Blackness and the Legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Symposium coincided with the tenth and final year of the UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent and the UN annual International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The Symposium consisted of several moderated panels covering the status of global racism and anti-Blackness in the twenty-first century, considering questions of the modern legacy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, reparative justice, the work of international organizations to improve civil rights, and more.

In this summary report, you will read excerpts of the conversations that occurred during each of the three panels, alongside closing remarks from our distinguished guests, Epsy Campbell Barr and Desirée Cormier Smith. What follows has been edited for space and clarity and captures much, but not all, of the panel discussions during the Symposium. We hope you take the time to engage with this publication and learn from the stories that were shared that day.