Once, not so long ago, the United States promised to place Harriet Tubman’s face on the $20 bill. It was more than a design change; it was to be an act of national recognition, an admission that greatness in America has never belonged solely to those who wrote its laws or commanded its armies, but to those who broke its chains.

A country that once made it illegal to teach enslaved Black people to read is now arguing over whether Black history itself belongs in classrooms.

The resolution, introduced by Ghana and backed by African and Caribbean nations, calls for acknowledgment of slavery’s lasting damage and identifies reparatory justice as a step toward addressing centuries of forced labor, displacement, and exploitation.

Gregory Davis, a resident dean and African American studies scholar, was removed from his position after years-old social media posts were revived by far-right outlets and amplified during Donald Trump’s second presidency. Harvard confirmed Davis was no longer serving in the role and moved quickly to close the matter, even as Davis and his family were given ten days to vacate university housing during winter.