Georgetown University has become the next campus to give into protests. The Jesuit university has agreed to change the names of buildings named after presidents who owned and sold slaves to pay off the university’s debt in the 1830s.
The Washington Post reported on calls for the name change from a protest Thursday at Georgetown’s Red Square, as well as a sit-in Friday afternoon which had, at its peak, 50 students who sat outside President John J. DeGioia’s office.
One of the organizers, senior Queen Adesuyi, mentioned “the momentum” from other university protests. She also shared how the Working Group on Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation DeGioia had put together, which also recommended the name changes, was a move to pacify protesters while he stalled on the decision.
Adesuyi said they “recognized we can’t be complacent anymore,” and said “the fact that the sale [of slaves] helped Georgetown to be the prestigious school it is now is an important part of our history that’s important to recognize. It’s a history not being told.”
Some students want one of the halls, formerly named Mulledy Hall after former president Thomas F. Mulledy, to reflect their hashtag, Builton272, referring to the 272 slaves sold. They also want reparations:
Mulledy Hall is currently being called Freedom Hall. McSherry Hall, named after William McSherry who served as an adviser on the slave trade, is currently being called Remembrance Hall.
