Georgetown University and the Jesuits have donated $27 million to a fund for descendants of enslaved people who were sold to pay off debts at the school in the 19th century.
On Wednesday (September 13), Georgetown University announced $10 million in new funds and the Jesuits $17 million that will go toward the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation, per Daily Mail.
The foundation was established in 2021 to support “the educational aspirations of descendants of those enslaved by the Jesuits” and foster “racial healing and reconciliation.” The new donations bring the foundation’s total funding to $42 million.
Monique Trusclair Maddox, CEO of the foundation, said the donations were a positive step forward to “heal the wounds of racism.”
“These contributions from Georgetown University and the Jesuits are a clear indication of the role Jesuits and other institutions of higher education can play in supporting our mission to heal the wounds of racism in the United States, as well as a call to action for all of the Catholic Church to take meaningful steps to address the harm done through centuries of slaveholding,” Maddox said.
In the 19th century, slaves worked Georgetown’s plantations. The presidents of the university, who were Jesuit priests, sold 272 people in 1838 to pay off debts at the school. Following the deal, the slaves were sent to work in fields in Louisiana.
The foundation previously recognized that slavery was built into the business model of the school and pledged to raise $1 billion to aid the descendants of enslaved people.
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