Rutgers confronts its ties to slavery in groundbreaking report

In an effort to confront its historical ties to slavery and address concerns raised by students, Rutgers University has compiled research that sheds new light on its beginnings, including an untold story of a slave who helped build the school's iconic Old Queens administration building. 

Published in a book titled "Scarlet and Black," the detailed report released Friday coincides with the university's 250th anniversary this year and shows how intertwined slavery is with the early history of Rutgers, a common theme among America's colonial colleges. 

The book combines previously documented history with some new details to paint a vivid picture of the university's relationship with slavery, a history largely unacknowledged by Rutgers until this year, university officials said.