Slate: Georgetown Will Give Admissions Preference to Descendants of Slaves It Benefited From

[No Excuses]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/09/01/georgetown_university_will_give_admissions_preference_to_descendants_of.html

 

Quote

 

Georgetown University will give admissions preferences to descendants of the 272 slaves whose sale was used to pay debts at the school in 1838, the school’s president announced Thursday morning. The relevant individuals will be given admissions priority akin to that which exists for children and grandchildren of school alumni.

Details on how the program will work—such as how all the descendants will be identified and informed of their status—haven’t been released, but President John DeGioia has already met with a number of descendants in Washington state and Louisiana. Georgetown’s statement says the school “intends to engage descendants both on campus and in the cities and communities where they live.”

Officials at Georgetown, a Jesuit Catholic school, organized the 1838 sale of slaves who worked at a Jesuit-run plantation in Maryland and used a portion of the proceeds to pay school debts.

 

 

[Kilmer17]

That's really cool.  

 

 

[Corcaigh]

Black people get all the lucky breaks.

[Burgold]

That is pretty interesting especially if they're doing the outreach and genealogical research.

[twa]

What if ya don't wanna go to Georgetown?

nice gesture to make them feel better

 

[zoony]

I think that's a good idea 

 

sounds like an an administrative nightmare though

[Burgold]

25 minutes ago, twa said:

What if ya don't wanna go to Georgetown?

nice gesture to make them feel better

 

I think this is one of those "It's the thought that counts" moments. It's a nice gesture.

[Bozo the kKklown]

Was on metro a few weeks ago and this woman got on right beside me. She graduated from Georgetown and told me about all of this. She pointed to the gravesite as we rode by, etc.

I am glad this is actually happening.

[Predicto]

Seems as valid as any other legacy preference.   Good on them.

[illone]

Seems like a good idea.  Slavery is a tough sin to recover from but the first step is acknowledgment.  Better late than never, I suppose.  We need more programs like this...