An event meant to honor the descendants of African Americans enslaved at Saint Louis University has been postponed, following alleged deviations from a full reckoning on the part of university officials.
The erstwhile Wednesday gathering, “A Path Towards Reconciliation,” was to include a prayer service and a public apology for the university’s involvement in human trafficking. It was abruptly canceled after what the Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE) called “dismissive” moves from top brass at the Jesuit school in Missouri.
“Just days ago, one of the key components of our remedies plan was unilaterally taken off the table by the University Board of Trustees without any discussion or consultation with descendants or experts,” said DSLUE founder and executive director Robin Proudie, who served on the planning committee for the event.
“This has caused deep frustration and raises serious concerns about the integrity of the reconciliation process, as it contradicts the university's previous commitment to a fair, transparent, and descendant-led approach.”
Descendants of St. Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE) Releases Statement On Saint Louis University’s A Path Towards Reconciliation Event pic.twitter.com/NN9WqWbWAv
— Areva Martin, Esq. (@ArevaMartin) March 26, 2025
Asked for comment on the situation, an SLU spokesperson directed BCM to a Wednesday email blast from outgoing president Dr. Fred Pestello, who spoke of the breakdown in veiled terms.
“In a number of forthright and challenging conversations this week, it became clear that we need to continue the work of building relationships with descendants before we are ready to proceed with a formal event,” wrote Pestello, who is due to retire in June.
“We are saddened by this change in today’s plans. However, this postponement does not signal an end to our engagement with reconciliation efforts. We remain hopeful for the future.”
The event was to be a culmination of extended dialogue, fomented by the public revelation of Jesuit slaveholding at SLU dating back to the early 19th century. Researchers from the Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation Project contacted Proudie in 2019 with the information, leading to the founding of DSLUE two years later.
The group has since worked to identify and unite descendants while promoting knowledge of enslavement at SLU. Their efforts have involved collaboration with individuals currently studying at the university, including recent student government legislation establishing an on-campus memorial.
Following meetings between descendants and SLU administrators, a university-sponsored prayer vigil of remembrance was held during Black History Month on Feb. 27.
Notably, as part of a 10-point plan discussed with the school, DSLUE has said it could seek up to $74 billion in reparations from the school for their ancestors' unpaid labor. That effort was announced last year by attorney Areva Martin, a Black Catholic who serves as lead counsel for the descendants group.
Rhetoric from DSLUE, Martin, and the university’s Student Government Association suggests that words are not enough to heal the harm done—though this week’s apology event was to be a start.
“As an attorney who has been involved in supporting organizations through similar efforts, I know the process can be long and difficult, but an outcome beneficial to all remains possible,” said Martin.
“We have faith that we can continue to move toward an outcome that will repair the harm done if the university can return to a cooperative and transparent working relationship with us.”
The lack of rapprochement on the issue of Jesuit slaveholding is not new for the Jesuits or their U.S. universities in recent years.
The Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation, a partnership between the order and the GU272 Descendants Association—connected to an 1838 slave sale at Georgetown University—is one such example. Once touting plans to raise $1 billion, the DTRF has fallen well short of fundraising expectations since its 2019 founding and faces intense criticism from descendants left out of the process.
Affected communities have noted that overtures from the Jesuits and their institutions ring hollow when they do not center on financial repair for living descendants and their families.
In St. Louis, Proudie says, the cancellation of this week’s event at SLU reflects continued resistance to the voices of those most affected by the Jesuits’ historical misdeeds against African Americans.
“Families have flown in and were anticipating this event with hope and joy before learning in the 11th hour that the University is advancing an agenda that is deeply misaligned with what the university had long maintained would be a descendant-centered reparative justice plan,” she lamented.
“Families decided they cannot participate in a performative ceremony that fails to address the harm that has been perpetrated on the ancestors.”
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
