SMR: Descendants

The descendants of Jesuit enslavement have built a strong community to reconstitute the familial ties broken by the Atlantic and domestic slave trade. They have sponsored programs to honor their ancestors, created historical resources to help each other trace their lineage, and produced media that tell the story of their families. This page serves as a guide to the associations created by them, the sources compiled by them, and their storytelling. 

 

Descendants have served as collaborators on works created by the students, faculty, and the media, so consult the following pages for further insights: Student Research and Narratives and Advocacy. In addition, the Georgetown Slavery Archive has developed a collection of Descendants' Stories, which includes media coverage, oral histories, family histories, and individual biographies.

 

Associations

Descendants of Jesuit Enslavement Historical and Genealogical Society (DJEHGS) 

This organization seeks to document, preserve, and interpret the history of Jesuit enslavement to educate the public about the role of those enslaved by the Jesuits in the U.S. Catholic Church and advocate for reparatory justice, specifically for descendants of Jesuit enslavement. Karren Harper Royal, president and co-founder of DJEHGS, has spearheaded their efforts to identify descendants, which has included developing Finding Us, a documentary on the efforts of four Descendants to connect with family members.

Descendants of the Saint Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE)

In 2019, researchers working with the Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation Project contacted descendants of those enslaved by the Jesuits who established the missions of St. Louis and St. Louis University.  By 2021, these descendants formed DSLUE to honor their Jesuit-enslaved ancestors. Its mission “is to preserve their legacy, achieve reparations to address both historical and lingering harms, and to educate the public about this vital history—both now and for future generations.” DSLUE is currently engaged in establishing markers at the graves of their ancestors, developing a film that honors their Jesuit-enslaved ancestors, and provides mentorship opportunities for young descendants.

The Georgetown Memory Project

An non-profit organization founded by Richard Cellini (C ‘86) in November 2015, the Georgetown Memory Project seeks to identify the descendants of the people enslaved by the Jesuits, honor their legacy, and acknowledge them as members of the Georgetown family. The project continues to report on the fates of the 314 people involved in the sale, including those who remained in Maryland and surrounding region.

The GU272 Descendants Association

Formed in August 2016, the GU272 Descendants Association was established to support the objectives of the descendants of Jesuit enslavement by uniting them, promoting aspirations of family and community with programming and fundraising, and establishing mutually beneficial relationships with Georgetown University, the Society of Jesus, and other organizations recognizing the GU272.  

On May 5, 2017, Joseph Stewart, president of the GU272 Descendants Association, submitted a petition to Arturo Sosa, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus, that proposed a partnership between the descendants, the Jesuits, and a social advocacy organization to consider new visions for reconciliation.. Father General's June 20 response to the petition endorsed this proposal, the first step towards the formation of the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation. 

White Marsh Historical Society

A non-profit organization founded in 2023, the White Marsh Historical Society is dedicated “to the research, preservation, and memorialization of the African American burial grounds at the White Marsh Cemetery (now Sacred Heart Catholic Church cemetery).” The non-profit anticipates building a website to provide descendants of those enslaved by the Jesuits at White Marsh access to oral histories and other family stories to create a sense of community.

Documentation Projects

GU272 Memory Project
American Ancestors
New England Historic Genealogical Society

The GU272 Memory Project is a collaboration among Descendants, the Georgetown Memory Project, and American Ancestors. This site features a searchable online database of genealogical data for GU272 families, historical information about the sale of the 272 enslaved persons, information about their families, and information on African American genealogy research. This website also includes oral histories of GU272 descendants currently living in Maryland, Louisiana, California and other locations. They discuss the experiences of sharecropping, Jim Crow, and desegregation. Membership to American Ancestors is required for full access to the site.

Connecting Maryland’s Past to Louisiana’s Present: The Georgetown 272
T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

Compiled by LSU students, these interviews of approximately 20 descendants of the GU272 who were sold from Maryland to Louisiana, which describe the experience of living under Jim Crow laws and their participation in the Civil Rights movement. The interviews also explore their reactions to learning about the Jesuits’ sale of their ancestors in 1838 and their expectations regarding their future relationships with the Jesuits and Georgetown administrators. This collection is the product of a College Honors course, “272 Slaves: Discovering Louisiana’s (and Georgetown’s) Past” (Spring 2017) and was presented in an exhibition at LSU Libraries, "Connecting Maryland's Past to Louisiana's Present: The Georgetown 272" (April 10-June 30, 2018).

GU272 Collection
John B. Cade Library
Southern University and A & M College

The Georgetown University 272 (GU 272) and Southern University and A&M College History Memory Project is composed of 12 video oral history interviews and documents contributed by the participants. The interviewees discuss their connections to Georgetown, their participation in educational and religious activities, and their role in the Civil Rights movement. Oral histories with biographies and other supporting materials are available by request.  

Documentaries, Performances, and Other Programs

Here I Am

Here I Am, a production of the The Laboratory for Performance & Politics at Georgetown University written and performed by GU272 descendant Mėlisande Short-Colomb, describes her complicated relationship with Georgetown University, the institution saved by the sale of her ancestors. This play honors the journey of 11 generations of her maternal grandmothers whose lives have been tied to the Jesuits since the early eighteenth century, when they illegally enslaved Mary Queen. Thousands have seen Here I Am: it premiered virtually in April 2021, made its in-person premiere at Gaston Hall in April 2023, and was performed at Loyola College in March 2024.

 

Other contributors to the production included: Derek Goldman, director; Jared Mezzocchi, multimedia design and direction; and Grammy-Nominated musician Somi, original music.

 

The Poppaw Queen (2024)

This historical documentary explores the legacy of Mary Queen, who was illegally enslaved by James Carroll and the Jesuits. It uses archival sources and oral testimony from GU272 descendants and scholars to explore the fates of her descendants, including those who fought their enslavement in Maryland courts and others sold by the Jesuits to Louisiana in 1838. Poetry by Rina Campbell and Trina Brown and poster art by Briana Falwell conveyed the strength and resilience of Mary Queen and her descendants. 

 

The Poppaw Queen was produced by point.black creative and directed by Malachi Robinson. It features interviews with History Professor Adam Rothman, director of the Georgetown Center for the Study of Slavery and Its Legacies, and GU272 descendant  Mėlisande Short-Colomb, Community Engagement Associate at the Georgetown Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics. The Poppaw Queen has been recognized as 'Best Documentary' at the 2024 Prince George's Film Festival!

Since We Last Met, The Descendants Documentary Project

This multi-year, multi-film documentary project seeks to recover the voices of the descendants of the people enslaved by the Jesuits. In 2016, Bernard J. Cook, Associate Dean in Georgetown College and Founding Director of the Film and Media Studies Program, initiated this project and has since interviewed several members of the GU272 community and produced the following documentaries:

 

I Am the Bridge (2023) explores the experiences of GU272 descendant Mėlisande Short-Colomb, who enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences in 2016 at the age of 63 to ensure that Georgetown remembered the suffering of her ancestors. Short-Colomb inspired students to advocate for reparations from Georgetown who ultimately proposed a student activities fee of $27.20 annually to fund descendant scholarships. 

 

The creative team included: Bernard Cook, Producer and Principal Investigator;  Mėlisande Short-Colomb, Creative Principal and Co-Producer; Dawne Langford, Editor; Christina Dropulic, Co-Producer and Assistant Editor; and Kuna Hammad, Director of Cinematography.

 

Im4Real (2018) is a short documentary that explores the work of GU272 descendant Jessica Tilson in maintaining the graves of her ancestors at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Cemetery in Maringouin, Louisiana. She also discusses her own experiences of race and racism in a small Louisiana town.

Southern MD GU272-Jesuit Enslaved Gathering

Between August 31 and September 1, 2024, descendants of those enslaved by the Jesuits organized activities throughout Southern Maryland – at sites of the Jesuit plantations and at St. Mary’s College of Maryland – to learn more about their ancestors and reunite families torn apart by the Jesuits’ use of the slave trade. The committee for this gathering has partnered with the GU272 Descendants Association to identify descendants.