A group of Harvard-affiliated researchers presented an extensive report Thursday on the people enslaved by the Vassall family, whose members were affiliated with the University and lived at the Longfellow House in Cambridge.
The report, spanning more than 260 pages, chronicles the lives of Cuba and Anthony Vassall and their children, who were enslaved by the Vassall family. The document describes in new detail the Black Vassalls’ efforts to win freedom, start their own businesses, and later advocate for abolition.
“They were always big players in a broader story,” said African and African American Studies lecturer Carla D. Martin, the project’s co-principal investigator, in an interview after the Thursday webinar. “The big focus change that we did was, we made them the center.”…