What has Georgetown University done (and what must still be done) to make reparations for slavery?

In 1838, Thomas F Mulledy agreed to sell 272 slaves to Louisiana to repay Georgetown's rising debts. This sale single-handedly saved Georgetown as an institution from bankruptcy; all the while it separated families and left enslaved Jesuits in detriment. For generations to come, the descendants of the enslaved persons part of the 1838 struggled with the devastating repercussions of institutional slavery.   

Recently Georgetown addressed its historical involvement with slavery and began to repair the damage it has done, by memorializing enslaved Jesuit family narratives, implementing the GU272 referendum, and publishing the GU slavery archive in 2016. This exhibit highlights Georgetown's reparations, which encompass commemorating the enslaved Jesuits through artwork and monuments, memorializing the legacies of enslaved family narratives, and developing closer ties with the descendants of enslaved Jesuits. 

Although Georgetown is one of the first prominent colleges in the United States to make reparations for its participation in slavery, this exhibit also highlights what must still be done, such as the annual reading of their names at graduation ceremonies, giving descendants "founder status" at the university, making its history a part of the community's everyday life, and tackling the disparities in learning opportunities faced by the black community at Georgetown. 

Georgetown's initiative to make reparations should focus not only on the descendants of the GU272 but also on the black community. We must remember that slavery affected a much larger group that still experiences racial injustices in the American system today. Hence, Georgetown must address the current discrimination towards the African American community as a whole by advocating for reparations nationwide.

This exhibit was created by the students in the Fall 2021 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.