Georgetown University students may soon be paying slavery reparations as part of a new student fee.
According to a report from The College Fix, students at Georgetown University will soon be voting on a referendum that would create a fund to pay slavery reparations. The fund would grow each year based on a $27.20 fee for each student at the university.
The New York Times published a column on Georgetown University’s connection to slavery in 2016. According to the column, Georgetown sold 272 slaves in 1838 to help pay off their debts. The sale was worth $3.3 million in today’s dollars.
The amount, $27.20, was chosen as a tribute to the 272 slaves that were sold by the university in the 19th century.
The Georgetown student government approved the referendum in a resolution this week. “The proceeds of the GU272 Reconciliation Contributions will be allocated for charitable purposes directly benefiting the descendants of the GU272 and other persons once enslaved by the Maryland Jesuits — with special consideration given to causes and proposals directly benefiting those descendants still residing in proud and underprivileged communities,” the resolution reads.
Georgetown University spokesperson Matt Hill defended the student referendum in a statement. Hill argued that Georgetown is long overdue with regards to fixing the mistakes that the university made in the 1800s.
The Descendant Community, the Society of Jesus, and Georgetown are engaged in a facilitated dialogue with the goal of reconciliation and transformation regarding the legacy of slavery. The process is anchored in the practice of trust-building, truth-telling, racial healing, and transformation. This dialogue will guide our long term work together, which will include creating a memorial and implementing other recommendations from the Working Group as well as new ideas emanating from the dialogue in collaboration with Descendants.
We appreciate the engagement and support of students and GUSA and will continue to consult with students and other members of the university community as we work in partnership with Descendants on a process that recognizes the terrible legacy of slavery and promotes racial justice in southern Louisiana, southern Maryland and throughout the nation.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for more updates on this referendum.