Reflection on Jesuit history is key to university’s future
In the April 27, 2016 issue of The Hawk, the editorial staff challenged Saint Joseph’s University to publicly acknowledge the potential connection between the founding of Saint Joseph’s Church and the sale of Jesuit slaves in the Maryland Province. On Oct. 18, the university hosted a panel titled, “Living with the sins of the past: Perspectives on Jesuit slaveholding,” marking the university’s first official acknowledgement of the relationship between the Jesuits and slavery.
During the fall of 2016, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., sparked a national conversation regarding the use of money from an 1838 sale of Jesuit-owned slaves, which helped to pay off the institution’s debt. Since that time, Georgetown has officially established legacy admission preference for descendants of the slaves from that specific sale, renamed several campus buildings to commemorate some of these individuals, and are in the process of designing a commemorative memorial.
It is possible that the beginnings of our university were paid for with the money from that same sale. The Hawk has provided ongoing coverage regarding the university’s potential connection to this sale thus far. The panel discussion, covered in this week’s issue on page three, marked the first and only public discussion the school has engaged in on the issue. With respect to the history and attempts toward restorative justice made by Georgetown, our situation clearly differs, as, at present, there is no direct link between the founding of Saint Joseph’s University and the 1838 sale of the Maryland Province slaves.
However, the culpability of the Jesuit Order in this matter is reason enough to investigate and educate ourselves on this historical issue. As a university that prides itself on its Jesuit identity, we have the obligation learn more and ignite change that reflect this history.
The Ignatian values—including “men and women with and for others” and a respect for the sanctity of human dignity—permeate every aspect of our lives at Saint Joseph’s. Our school’s mission statement calls for “a lifelong commitment to thinking critically, making ethical decisions, pursuing social justice, and finding God in all things.” Thus, the realization that Jesuits owned and sold slaves and then used those profits to build institutions that have historically benefited wealthy, white individuals is not only merely a concern of ours, but a call to critically examine our relationship with these events and their repercussions.
The reality is this: While the panel that took place last week was attended by some professors, students, and a large number of community members, conversation of the sale of these slaves within the university community has been lacking. At a school with a population of more than 8,000 students, fewer than 100 attended the panel—and many only found out about it after it had already occurred. Furthermore, there were no representatives from the administration in attendance.
Regardless of its audience, the panel offered considerable insight into how the university community can move forward in an effort to recognize past evils and create a continuously inclusive environment. We see different ways that our school can take action to further the education and discussion surrounding the Jesuit sale of slaves. During the panel, Tia Pratt, Ph.D., professor of Sociology, suggested creating classes focused on the relationship between Jesuits and slavery that are tagged as 183, for the year that the slaves were sold. The current GEP classes denoted with 154 commemorate the year 1540, when the Jesuits were founded.
The Hawk strongly supports this idea. In addition, by offering a class (or classes) that explore the history of the Jesuits and their connection to slavery, the student body will further their education on the origins from which our institution and identity developed. This kind of proposed course would preferably be one that is a choice for the required freshman seminar or possibly a theology or history elective.
Furthermore, we believe that members of the university’s administration should be speaking about this issue. Official acknowledgement of how this potential involvement impacts our Jesuit identity, regardless of whether or not a direct link is discovered, is still relevant as the sale of the slaves in the Maryland Province remains a national issue.
One reason for hesitation on the part of the student body or the administration may be a result of the belief that continuing to explore the connection seeks to tarnish the reputation of our school. On the contrary, we believe that we reinforce our Jesuit values by talking about this major part of our past. As men and women with and for others, we must respect the dignity of all people, and sometimes that involves making uncomfortable explorations into the past. Hesitation to partake in such discussions due to a fear of learning about our own legacy is simply an excuse to propagates ignorance and refutes our own mission: to educate and express solidarity unto others.
We should not put the issue of slavery aside in favor of keeping our reputation pristine, especially because these conversations in no way are an attempt to reinterpret the reputation of the Jesuits or rewrite their history entirely. Rather, as learners and thinkers of the 21st century—and students attending a Jesuit institution—it is necessary to understand that the sale of these slaves is part of our Jesuit history. When we chose to attend St. Joe’s, we knew we were not just here to learn in a classroom, but to take steps in order to become lifelong learners. Exploring this issue is a small part of our well-rounded, Catholic, Jesuit education. We want this issue acknowledged and talked about in a constructive way. We need to have an informed discussion in order to make changes as a university.
-The Hawk Staff
