Harvard to scrap law school 'slavery' seal

Harvard University has bowed to student pressure and says it will dump its law school seal which is associated with slavery.

The Harvard Law School seal. Source: AAP

Harvard University will replace the official shield of its prestigious law school which features the family crest of an 18th century slave holder, after students objected to its racist associations.

The Harvard Corporation, the Massachusetts university's governing body, had voted to approve a recommendation by a Harvard Law School committee to retire the shield.

The decision comes as emblems linked to slavery on college and public properties have been the target of protests by students and others who see them as insensitive.

Harvard president Drew Faust told Martha Minow, dean of the law school, on Monday that the university backed the recommendation.

Designed in 1936, the shield displays three sheaves of wheat taken from the Royalls family coat of arms, with the university's motto "Veritas", the Latin word for truth, scrolled on three panels across the top.

The emblem was modelled on the coat of arms of the family of Isaac Royall, who media reports said was the son of an Antiguan slaveholder and endower of the first law professorship at Harvard.

A committee organised by the law school voted to recommend scraping it after criticism by a student group.