It would not be an overstatement to say that as the members of Georgetown University we will forever live in the shadows of slavery that was institutionalized in the US. Without Georgetown’s ties to slavery, including the sale of 272 enslaved people in 1838, it would not be standing as 231 year old institution; this history of injustices of slavery at Georgetown can not be erased completely, but we can only find ways to reconcile with the past. There have been previous attempts to reconcile slavery at Georgetown, whether that be through renaming buildings or having discussions and events, however does this satisfy what reconciliation should look like?
Reconciliation at universities and other institutions in the US is a question that has come to the fore in recent years. Especially because Georgetown, as well as many other institutions, were deeply rooted and preserved by their relationship with slavery, traces of the slave trade cannot be ignored or pushed aside. Georgetown, arguably, sets an example of how reconciliation should be maintained, and considering that, this exhibit will try to answer the question of whether Georgetown’s effort to reconcile past injustices are enough, and if not, what more should be done in order to truly reconcile Georgetown’s horrid past of slavery. Reconciliation and reparations are important not only to recognise the history of slavery, and be able to confront it and admit to it, but also to provide understanding and secure justice.
This exhibit was created by the students in the Fall 2020 course, HIST106: Atlantic World, at Georgetown University Qatar. The course members assembled these materials to help members of the GUQ community participate in an informed way with ongoing discussions about slavery, memory, and reparations at Georgetown University, drawing on sources from the Georgetown Slavery Archive and the research of the Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation.