Where Do We Go From Here?
The Jesuits recognize that slavery is evil and that their slaveholding was a sin. We are led by descendants of people the Jesuits held in slavery as we engage in a long overdue process of truth-telling and transformation.
Listen and learn
Decisions about how to repair relationships and transform the historical harms of slavery should be made by and with descendants and descendant communities, not for them. We work in relationship with descendants to address how Jesuits should respond to their slaveholding and its legacies. If you believe you are a descendant, we invite you to contact us.
Liturgy of Remembrance, Contrition, and Hope
In 2017, Jesuit Conference President Tim Kesicki, SJ, apologized for the Society of Jesus’ slaveholding.
The Jesuit Antiracism Sodality
JARS works to address racism within the Society of Jesus and its institutions.
Why do we engage in this work? Because we are called to give voice to those whose voices have been marginalized and almost forgotten. We desire to look honestly at our past so that we can, together, change our present and transform our future. Our compass is to name the nameless, to honor those who have been ignored, to admit our part in the horrific history of chattel slavery, and to walk in partnership with descendants as we dream of something new.
Research
We are engaged in historical and genealogical research in order to share the realities of enslaved people’s lives and to connect with descendants. We are partnered with the St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society in our research efforts, and we intend to build similar partnerships as we grow.
Just as the sacrament of reconciliation begins with the humble acknowledgment of our sinfulness, it is only by telling these stories with humility and openness that we begin the process of reconciliation.
Communicate
We are committed to transparency. We are sharing about our efforts through publications, social media, conferences, media outlets, meetings with community stakeholders, and other platforms.
Education
We empower students to connect Jesuit slaveholding to modern-day racial inequities and participate in efforts to rectify them.
…slavery was just the first stage, the ‘original sin,’ in our nation’s history of racism and racial injustice. It was followed by a century of legal segregation and now a half-century more of entrenched inequality that truly are the legacies of slavery and racism. They are part of the ‘history’ and ‘memory’ in what we are examining.
4511 W. Pine Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108
SHMR@jesuits.org
314.758.7159