Crimson Cash: Following the Flow of Harvard’s Blood Money

READ THE NEW REPORT HERE.

About

The Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign is a reparatory justice initiative that seeks to sever Harvard’s financial ties to the prison-industrial complex (PIC). We are a group of students and community leaders who, following the guidance of formerly incarcerated and presently incarcerated organizers, seek the abolition of prisons and the carceral state.

Overview

In this addendum to the Harvard-to-Prison Pipeline Report (2019), we present a detailed and updated dive into Harvard’s investments in the PIC. This includes an updated figure of $11.2 million invested in the PIC, a description of our methodology in researching Harvard’s investments, a description of different categories of investments in the PIC, an analysis of Harvard’s holdings in the PIC, and a call to action that details concrete steps readers may take to support the work of HPDC. We hope this report shows the different forms of investment in the PIC, and further demonstrates that prison holdings are sites for the confluence of multiple predatory industries.This updated report demonstrates that Harvard has at least $11.2 million worth of holdings in the PIC. Building on the work of the previous report, we connect Harvard’s holdings in the PIC to broader predatory and carceral companies that participate in surveillance, parole, and policing, and include large tech monopolies such as Amazon and Google.

Authors: Azani Creeks, Jarrett Martin Drake, Mary McNeil, and Chrystel Oloukoï