Our Ethical Commitments

Research Purposes

• Constructing historical narratives about the lives of enslaved people held in bondage by the Jesuits in the United States.
• Tracing family lineages and identifying living descendants of those enslaved by the Jesuits so that
  • we can make historical records accessible to descendant communities;
  • descendants are involved in crafting and interpreting historical narratives about their ancestors and the experience of enslavement to the Society of Jesus; and
  • descendants work together with Jesuits to respond to the persistent vestiges of Jesuit slaveholding.
• Telling the full history of Jesuit slaveholding and promoting the widest possible access of relevant primary materials.

Research Methods

Enslaved people played a substantial role in the establishment and growth of Jesuit parishes, missions to settlers and indigenous people, and educational institutions, and Jesuit institutions across the country benefited from their forced labor. Records of these institutions and what they document about enslaved people often moved around as institutions opened and closed. Therefore, primary source material about enslaved people is spread across many different archives and repositories.

The SHMR Project conducts both historical research about the lives of the people enslaved to the Jesuits and genealogical research to reconstruct family units and trace lineages. When conducting research, we adhere to the following standards.

• Sources. We examine records in physical archives and online repositories that are publicly available. We will never attempt to subvert any mandatory access restrictions (such as public statute, donor contract, business/institutional/personal privacy) or access private accounts or information. We will never attempt to obtain criminal records, arrest records, or court records for living individuals. If we encounter such information, we will neither share nor archive it.
• Genealogy. We conduct genealogical research for the purpose of connecting with descendants in accordance with the priorities named in Research Purposes. We identify and cite all sources and ensure that genealogical connections are made only after a preponderance of evidence is found.

Use of Images

Our approach to research intentionally recognizes the full humanity of people who were dehumanized not only during their enslavement, but also in how they have been remembered. Photographs of enslaved or formerly enslaved people can be part of that approach when shared respectfully, with necessary context, and in a manner that affirms human dignity. We therefore carefully discern how and when we choose to share images of enslaved and formerly enslaved people that we encounter when conducting historical research. Following these guidelines ensures recognition of their individual identities and experiences, and that their images are not anonymized or reduced to symbols of slavery.

• We always provide the depicted person’s name, if we know it, accompanied by information about their life, if known.
• If we cannot determine a depicted person’s name, we include contextual information we currently know, as well as language that encourages the viewer to reflect on what this silence in the historical record reveals about how people held in slavery were—or were not—valued.
• If we have yet to determine contextual information, we do not share the image.

For the reasons outlined here, we ask that individuals who visit our website not use images, particularly of enslaved people, without first consulting the SHMR team.

SHMR will never use images of enslaved or formerly enslaved people for promotional purposes or for profit.

Access, Transparency, and Privacy

Because records are often scattered, and distance and archives hours can make them difficult to access, we aim to communicate our research transparently and make records about enslaved people, their earliest descendants, and Jesuit slaveholding as accessible as possible. At the same time, we are committed to respecting the privacy of present-day descendants and descendant communities. Therefore, we adhere to the following standards in order to raise public awareness about Jesuit slaveholding without perpetuating historically exploitative practices against descendant communities.

• Access. By compiling primary sources on the lives of people held in bondage by the Jesuits, we can promote and provide the widest possible accessibility of these materials. We are working toward developing a web platform which will serve as a repository for information on Jesuit slaveholding for use by descendants, researchers, and scholars. Because it will take time to develop this web platform, we are working to share as much historical information as we are able on our website. Individuals may also contact us to obtain more information.
• Transparency. Being transparent about primary documents and research resources promotes truth-telling and accountability both in our work and in the communities we serve. In addition, as we work to increase public knowledge about people held in slavery by the Jesuits, we will acknowledge the contributions of everyone involved in researching and communicating this history.
• Privacy. In order to raise awareness and enable people to determine if they are descendants, we wish to share as much information as possible while also respecting and protecting the privacy of living individuals. In reviewing different standards for cutoffs for personal information, we have determined the most appropriate policy is to keep records private about all living descendants and the generation that preceded them. This cutoff is subject to change based on descendants’ preferences.