Committee: Harvard Law should drop shield tied to slavery

A committee made up of faculty, students, alumni, and staff has recommended that Harvard Law School ditch its official shield because of its ties to an 18th-century slaveholder.

The committee announced Friday that it recommended to the university's governing body that the shield be dropped.

The decision is backed by Dean Martha Minow.

The shield depicts three bundles of wheat, an image borrowed from the family crest of Isaac Royall Jr. It's meant to pay tribute to Royall, a wealthy merchant who donated his estate to create the first law professorship at Harvard University. Royall made much of his wealth through the slave trade.

Minow created the 12-member committee in November after some law school students created a group called Royall Must Fall to denounce the shield.