- RICHARD H. WEISS
- Robin Proudie (right) and attorney Areva Martin (second from right) listen to Dr. Julianne Malveaux, a former college president and board member of the National African American Reparations Commission.
He wasn’t there, but one couldn’t help but wonder whether Dr. Fred Pestello felt the brickbats hurled his way from Saint Louis University’s Busch Center. His office is just a couple of blocks down the street.
Members of Descendants of the Enslaved of SLU, a non-profit with an acronym DSLUE, were accusing the Jesuit university’s president at a spirited press conference and teach-in Thursday, February 8, of slow-walking consideration of their demands for reparations.
It didn’t take long to get the answer. Oh yes, he felt it. Within hours after DSLUE’s combination press conference and teach-in, Pestello issued a most gracious response.
“We cannot yet offer a detailed response to the specific information shared at today’s event on SLU’s campus.
“At this point, we can affirm that we understand and share the sense of urgency expressed by several members of the descendant community. SLU’s participation in the institution of slavery was a grave sin. We acknowledge that progress on our efforts to reconcile with this shameful history has been slow, and we regret the hurt and frustration this has caused.
“Continuing this work is a priority for SLU and the Society of Jesus. As we move forward, we hope to re-establish and build deeper relationships with all descendant families, to explore together how best to honor the memory of those who were enslaved by the Jesuits.”
Gracious perhaps, but unlikely to be disarming.
DSLUE, to quote the late activist Fannie Lou Hamer, is tired of being sick and tired as it tries to work with Pestello and his administration.
“We know from the Jesuits themselves, these universities unjustly enriched themselves and accumulated billions and billions of dollars at the expense of enslaved people,” declared Areva Martin, lead attorney for DSLUE.
Martin noted that the university in 2016 issued a report seeking reconciliation for the descendants. But she added: “Acknowledgement and apology are not the same as atonement.
“The committee that was tasked with implementing the goals of the report has never ever included a single expert who could speak to the monetary value of the thousands and thousands of hours of the people they enslaved. We know their names and the names of their descendants, hundreds of whom we have right here in the St. Louis community, in the shadow of this university, many of whom are standing here before you.”
That included Robin Proudie. She is one of 200 living descendants of Henrietta Mills-Chauvin, who was enslaved by the Jesuits. Proudie is a founder of DSLUE.
“We are not asking for a handout,” she said. “We are asking for the debt to be paid.”
Supporting DSLUE’s case was SLU’s own Dr. Christopher Tinson, associate professor of history and department chair of African American Studies at SLU.
From the podium, DSLUE attorney Martin credited Tinson for securing the large multipurpose room at Busch Center for its event. For good measure he brought along several of his students.
In his remarks, Tinson referenced Hamer and a lesson he learned from her: “Never be afraid to speak out of place.” Tinson said, “For me, being here as a member of this university and who wants this university to thrive, wants it to own up to its own mission … it’s my special obligation to stand in solidarity with these efforts. This is something that I think enhances growth, and more importantly, it enhances the health of the campus community. So for me, I'm here to represent that step forward. And now we have to just continue to work.”
You might imagine Pestello’s predecessor, the famously dictatorial Father Lawrence Biondi, taking a very dim view of Tinson’s advocacy for a group critical of SLU. Pestello’s response to his activism has yet to be seen, however, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Pestello planned to meet today with DSLUE members.
Stay tuned.
Richard H. Weiss is a former editor at the Post-Dispatch and chair of the River City Journalism Fund, which seeks to advance local journalism in St. Louis. Please see rcjf.org for more information.
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