Harvard claims diversity is essential to maximize learning and will go as far as taking issues to the Supreme Court, such as the 2021 Affirmative Action case, to ensure it has a diverse student body. The current annual report of Harvard’s Faculty Demographics suggests this philosophy only applies to diversifying the student body, as 73% of the faculty at Harvard University are white, and 12% of faculty are Black. But, according to Harvard’s Admissions Statistics for the Class of 2026, 15.2% of admitted students fell under the demographic grouping of African-American within a total of 59.4% of students coming from a minority background. Why is there such a large gap?
According to Harvard University’s Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Harvard’s aims to “fully embrace” students from different backgrounds and races. If this were the case, however, how come the Black student population at Harvard lacks representation in its faculty? If Harvard wants to truly create diversity amongst its campus, then they cannot stop at just admissions statistics. Harvard needs to hire more Black faculty to ensure that Black students feel included within the classroom. What goes on inside the campus is just as important as the numbers that the public sees.
Black students at Harvard could benefit in a number of ways if there were an increase in Black faculty. They could network, meet mentors to guide them down their career path, talk to professors with experiences similar to their own, and feel more understood within the classroom and campus setting. Student to faculty relationships are just as important as student to student relationships are.
However, many Black undergraduates feel disconnected from their teachers and the classes they teach. “As students, we want to be taught by someone that gets us, that understands our various identities within a diaspora, and someone that is aware of how many external factors make their way into our lives and our classrooms,” said Chaelon Simpson ’26, the Inclusivity Chair of the Harvard First-Year Black Table (FBT). “Not having enough faculty of color, specifically Black faculty, can hinder that.”
Alex Fernand ’26, member of the Association of Black Harvard Women, as well as the Greener Scott Scholars, shared Simpson’s sentiment. “I think it’s important to see yourself in high positions, especially in predominantly-white elite spaces such as Harvard. Most of my teachers are white or white-passing, so not seeing myself reflecting in those who teach me, it can be hard to internalize those lessons the same way I’m sure having Black educators would,” she said.
But, after only a semester at Harvard, Simspon has grown accustomed to non-Black professors and the lack of Black representation in Harvard’s professors. “For me, it has been unusual to have a Black professor unless I’m taking an [African and African-American Studies] Department class, which even then having a Black professor is not guaranteed,” he said. Out of nearly 1,500 faculty members at Harvard, only 78 faculty members are Black.
In addition to benefiting black students’ professional experiences at Harvard, an increase in the number of black professors will also provide a safer space for Black students in classrooms, as well as a place where all Harvard students can properly learn of Black history and injustices. “Black teachers matter because they can disrupt harmful rhetoric and exclusionary practices [and] are needed to support Black students who are racially targeted and criminalized for their political resistance,” exclaims Waterloo Professor Olufunke Oba, in an article for Today’s Parent.
Educators Na’im Madyun et al. writing for Educational Foundations, further echo these claims. “The experiences that shaped our respective journeys as African-American scholars currently teaching at predominantly White institutions can advantage all students, and especially White students, by equipping them with a more sophisticated ability to understand realities across cultures.”
Yet Harvard has made progress in recent years. Harvard University’s Faculty Demographics Over Time show that from 2013-2023, all ladder faculty of color has risen from 20% to 27%. However, this progression mostly accounts for an increase in Asian faculty, while other minority hirings have had a slower rise. If Harvard wants to truly make strides toward a more diverse faculty, all groups should be better represented, such as Black faculty.
Alongside this slow progression, there are currently clubs on campus that Black students can join and feel a sense of belonging, such as First-Year Black Table. “FBT means so much to me. As a first-year Black student, going to events on campus and not feeling represented in the general student population can oftentimes feel troubling, so having an organization that prides itself on maximizing the experience for Black students provides reassurance and confidence to the first-year student body,” Simspon said.
Simpson additionally recommends that Harvard should create a multicultural center on campus for students. “A lot of Black students have been wanting a physical safe space to go to and celebrate their culture. I think that we should take a page from Columbia [University] and have that space for Black students to go and just be themselves, not having to worry about code switching, presentation of themselves, or any other miniscule detail that plagues the minds of Black students daily.”
Fernand suggests implementing a Black house could also have benefits, as she has seen its success on other campuses. “Other institutions have a Black house and I think especially as we separate into upperclassmen dorms, keeping a solidified Black freshman class will be hard because spaces like Annenberg won’t be present. So, having something like a Black house for Black students across all years to create a safe community amongst each other would be amazing.”
These suggestions are important, but Harvard should not just stop here. Improving the experience of Black students on campus ranges from its student opportunities to the professors that are hired. Harvard is making strides toward diversity on its campus, but to truly achieve a balance, more work needs to be done to ensure its faculty represents its students, too.
Layla Chaaraoui ’26 (laylachaaraoui@college.harvard.edu) recommends visiting the Harvard Art Museum’s digital archive or having open conversations about what work there is to be done to celebrate Black History Month.