What's In A Name?

Winthrop House, established in 1931, was named after John Winthrop, Hollis Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. It quickly also became associated with his ancestor, Governor John Winthrop, a leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  

Since the release of the Report of the Committee on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery, the University has grappled with how slavery and its legacies are entangled with Harvard’s history. One of the ways that our House is entangled with slavery is through its name: both John Winthrops associated with this House enslaved people. Students have brought this important conversation to the fore by submitting a denaming request for Winthrop House in March 2023. A review committee was formed, and its report released in July 2025. The recommendations of the report were accepted by President Garber and Dean Hoekstra, including changing the name from "John Winthrop House" to "Winthrop House" and supporting Winthrop community members in promoting historical inquiry and constructive dialogue to deepen a culture of belonging in the House. The report (and additional information) is available on the University's Winthrop House Denaming Proposal website.

The goal of this page is to provide information about the denaming process and the subsequent work to contextualize the House's name and history, and to invite you to engage in this discussion.

Contents: Denaming Process and Request; Timeline; News and Opinion; Past Denaming Efforts at Harvard; Denaming Efforts Beyond Harvard; Resources; Contextualiation and Placemaking Leadership Team; Feedback

Denaming Process and Request

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) developed a process for denaming requests, following the University's principles on renaming. The process allows any current FAS affiliate to submit a denaming request, which must address all of the following points:

  • whether, in what ways, and to what extent the name creates a harmful environment that undermines the ability of current students, faculty, or staff to participate fully in the work of the University;
  • whether the historical evidence advanced to supporting a denaming request is marked by strength and clarity, and what is understood about why our forebears originally selected the name;
  • whether, in what ways, and to what extent the behaviors now seen as morally repugnant are a significant component of that individual’s legacy when viewed in the full context of the namesake’s life;
  • whether, in what ways, and to what extent the namesake’s actions or beliefs we now regard as abhorrent would have been regarded as objectionable in the namesake’s own time;
  • whether, in what ways, and to what extent the named building or other named entity is central to University life and community and to the identity and experience of students, staff, or faculty;
  • whether, in what ways, and to what extent the University might consider alternatives to denaming in order to contextualize the name and namesake by means that allow us to reckon with our history.

In March 2023, the Generational African American Students Association, in collaboration with Natives at Harvard College, submitted a request to dename John Winthrop House. This page contains some information about the timeline of the request, as well as additional information, including news and opinion articles about the denaming request, links to denaming and renaming cases at other institutions, and additional reading about the John Winthrops.

Timeline

  • April 2022: Report released by the Presidential Committee on Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery
  • March 2023: Petition to dename Winthrop House submitted
  • November 2023: University forms Denaming Committee
  • July 2025: report from review committee released; President Garber and Dean Hoekstra accept recommendations of report
  • Winthrop House Events and Listening Sessions
    • April 11, 2023: Dinner discussion with Dr. Cristine Hutchison-Jones, Project Manager for Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery.
    • November 13 and 15, 2023: “What's In A Name” case study
    • December 7, 2023: Listening session with Denaming Committee
    • February 24, 2024: Listening session
    • April, 2024: Individual and small-group meetings with Res Tutors
    • September 17, 2024: Winthrop House Denaming Info Session
    • October 11, 2024: Winthrop House trip to University Archives
    • July 17, 2025: Listening session on Zoom after release of report
    • Sept 9, 2025: Winthrop Denaming and Contextualization Discussion
    • Nov 3-7, 2025: House History Week, applications for student members of Winthrop Contextualization and Placemaking Leadership Team (see below for membership)
    • Nov 6, 2025: Preview of Exhibit on Denaming Process and Outcome at Community Dinner
    • Dec 9, 2025: Installation of Exhibit on Denaming Process and Outcome, in Gore G entryway lobby
    • Mar 12, 2026: Plaque Ceremony
      • Ceremony to show the new plaque at the entrance to Kaneb Courtyard, replacing the "John Winthrop House" plaque with a new "Winthrop House" plaque. The new plaque will be installed in the days after the ceremony; the old plaque will go to University archives.

News and Opinion

Past Denaming Efforts at Harvard

Denaming Efforts Beyond Harvard

Resources

  • Case Study: What’s in a Name?
    This fictional case, developed by the Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery Initiative, explores the challenges universities face in confronting issues of memorialization and naming on their campuses. https://legacyofslavery.harvard.edu/case-studies/whats-in-a-name
  • Bibliography
    • Ten Hills Farm: The Forgotten History of Slavery in the North. C. S. Manegold. Princeton University Press, 2011.
    • The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America--The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675. Bernard Bailyn. Vintage, 2013.
    • The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop. Edmund Morgan. Pearson, 3rd ed., 2006.
    • John Winthrop: America's Forgotten Founding Father. Francis J. Bremer. Oxford University Press, 2003.
  • Dename Winthrop student group Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/denamewinthrop

Contextualization and Placemaking Leadership Team

The Contextualization and Placemaking (CAP) Leadership Team works to implement the recommendations of the denaming proposal review committee.

Members:

  • Matthew Tobin '27
  • Ishan Tiwari '25
  • Moses Murdock (Resident Tutor)
  • Mamfatou Baldeh (Resident Tutor)
  • Michael Rain (Scholar-in-Residence)
  • Paulo Carvao (Scholar-in-Residence)
  • Brenda Tindal (FAS Chief Campus Curator)
  • Kiran Gajwani (Faculty Dean)
  • Stephen Chong (Faculty Dean)

Feedback

We encourage current residents and alumni of Winthrop House as well as relevant members of the Harvard community to share your thoughts and opinions with the House Team. Please see the Feedback page.