Working Group on African American History

In August 2013 Washington and Lee President Kenneth P. Ruscio established a working group to examine the role of African Americans in the history of the University. In his instructions to the group, President Ruscio emphasized that its work should include a straightforward look at the history of enslaved people at the institution and should also identify themes, trends and important moments up to the present time.

The Working Group began by creating a web-based Timeline of the History of African Americans at W&L, beginning with John Chavis, the first known African American to receive a college education in the United States  in the 18th century, and continuing through the current day.

Although the charge of the Working Group was broader than an examination of the institution's history with slavery, the group has spent considerable time examining this issue and, in April 2016, unveiled a historical marker to memorialize the names and the story of the enslaved women and men who were bequeathed to Washington College by John Robinson and then sold by the college trustees.

Through the Working Group, W&L was one of the earliest members of the Universities Studying Slavery, a 52-member, international organization dedicated to organizing multi-institutional collaboration as part of an effort to facilitate mutual support in the pursuit of common goals regarding the relationships that colleges and universities have historically had with slavery.

The Working Group is composed of members of the faculty, administration, staff, and student body.