Georgetown Students Vote For Slave Repair

Georgetown students voted Thursday to create a fund to help descendants of slaves sold in the 19th century pay the university's debts.

Two-thirds of the undergraduates who voted in the government-student referendum supported the measure, which is non-binding but sends a message to university administrators – and beyond.

[Georgetown students vote on reparations for the descendants of slaves]

The vote comes at a time when reparations are a national problem, promoted by some Democratic candidates in the presidential election, for example, and where a growing number of universities are studying the role of slavery in their own institutions.

Student activists expressed hope that the Georgetown Board will discuss this at its next spring meeting.

"As students in an elite institution, we recognize the great privileges that we have been granted and wish to at least partially repay our debts to families whose involuntary sacrifices have made these privileges possible," wrote sponsors in the referendum. "As individuals with moral imagination, we choose to do more than just recognize the past: we decide to change our future."

The measure proposes a fee, starting with 27.20 USD for the autumn semester 2020, which would collect approximately 400 000 USD. Student fees would increase with inflation and fund a non-profit organization run by a board of students and descendants that would donate money to charities directly benefiting the descendants of the sale.

One-third of the students who voted opposed the measure, with some opposing students paying for university actions and some disagreeing with the idea of ​​redressing the wrongs of the past.

The student government leaders hailed the referendum, saying it was a significant step forward in the exoneration of the university's legacy of slavery.

The translation into action will continue through the school officials and, if the measure moved forward, it would put Georgetown on the right side of the story, said Friday Norman Francis, president of the Student Association of the University of Georgetown, and Vice President Aleida Olvera, in a statement The results.

[Georgetown plans to apologize for its role in slavery]

The university has deepened some lesser known aspects of its history, including the legacy of slavery in the institution. The sale in the nineteenth century of 272 men, women and children enslaved – which enabled the school to solve some urgent debts, but which separated the families and subjected the people to exhausting conditions in the plantations of the country. South – has become a symbol of both the horrors of slavery and the choices universities face in confronting their own legacy. Georgetown leaders apologized for the past and took steps to redress historical wrongs.

Some students say that they have not done enough. The referendum was aimed at ensuring that certain changes directly benefited the descendants of this 1838 sale.

[‘Make it right’: Descendants of slaves demand restitution from Georgetown]

Todd Olson, Vice President for Student Affairs in Georgetown, said in a written statement, "The university values ​​the commitment of our students and appreciates the fact that 3,845 students made their voices heard in the election of 39, yesterday. Our students are participating in an important national conversation and we share their commitment to dealing with the slavery of Georgetown history.

"We understand that the student referendum aims to honor the 272 enslaved people sold by the Jesuits of Maryland in 1838 and to advance" the causes and proposals that directly benefit descendants still living in disadvantaged communities. "

Olson said the referendum "will guide our ongoing engagement with students, teachers and staff, members of the community of descendants and the Society of Jesus".