Descendants & the Jesuits: Beginning a path toward racial healing

In 1838, to save itself from financial ruin, the Jesuits at Georgetown University sold 272 enslaved persons. It’s a shameful piece of history and one that the Jesuits are reckoning with like many other communities and institutions today. But the bill of sale that has been recently recovered has enabled thousands of descendants to discover their ancestry and reunite for a better future. And the Jesuits have pledged $100 million to a partnership with those descendants called, the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation. And while this marks one of the largest collaborations of its kind - that is between a group of descendants and a religious institution - it’s not just about the money. It’s about reconciliation and transformation- much deeper work. 

This episode is based on an article written by J.D. Long Garcia called The Jesuits have pledged to raise $100 million to advance racial healing. But reconciliation is about more than money.

Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life is offering an online dialogue, Owning Slavery, Pursuing Justice, Seeking Reconciliation: Lessons from Georgetown and the U.S. Jesuits on Thursday, April 29, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. EDT. You can RSVP to join or watch the recording here.