Beginning in December 2021, Loyola University Maryland engaged in a thorough process to determine and understand the institution’s connections to enslaved people. To achieve this, University leadership convened the President’s Task Force Examining Loyola’s Connections to Slavery. This group was comprised of students, faculty, administrators, and two members representing the GU272 descendant community. Their final report was released last week and includes a detailed review of historical findings, reflections on the ongoing legacy of slavery and racial injustice, and recommendations for Loyola University going forward.   

I encourage you to read the report, which is the result of significant academic research. As you do so, it is important to acknowledge some important historical context, in order to understand how our legacies are intertwined. Loyola Blakefield traces its founding to the same moment as Loyola University: 1852 by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. 

 

The report includes important findings, some of which have been previously recorded.  For example, it has been established that in June 1838, the Jesuits negotiated the sale of 272 enslaved men, women, and children to two buyers in Louisiana in exchange for $115,000. Some proceeds from that sale were used to secure the financial position of Georgetown University. Additionally, Maryland Province Jesuits also used funds from that same sale to establish what was then Loyola College. At that time, Loyola High School—the entity which would eventually evolve into Loyola Blakefield—was a division of the College and remained so until 1921. 

 

We commend the courageous work of Loyola University President’s Task Force and remain eager to examine how the lessons of this research can be incorporated into our ongoing work. As Jesuit institutions with a shared inception, Loyola Blakefield and Loyola University Maryland embrace our common mission of promoting the dignity of each human life that we find in the Gospels.

 

History exists, in part, to inform and inspire us in the present. As we examine the harsh reality of this particular moment of history and its ramifications, let us pray for the continuation of this important work, and for fruitful collaboration towards our shared goals.

 

Sincerely,