Center for the Study of Slavery
Center for the Study of Slavery

About the Center

The Center for the Study of Slavery and Its Legacies is home to teaching, research, and public history initiatives connected to Georgetown’s ongoing commitments in Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation.

The Center supports rigorous new scholarship and innovation in disseminating knowledge about the history of enslavement and its past and current legacies.

The Center for the Study of Slavery and Its Legacies serves as the academic home for research and scholarship related to slavery and its legacies at Georgetown, in Washington, DC, and in Catholic communities in the United States.

Launched in 2023, the Center is led by Professor and Founding Director, Adam Rothman.

More About the Center’s 2023 Launch Event

Responding to the university’s own history in 2016, Georgetown’s Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation recommended the creation of “an Institute for the Study of Slavery and Its Legacies at Georgetown to coordinate scholarly research, curricular development, and public programs about the history of slavery and its legacies at Georgetown, in Washington, D.C., and its surroundings, and in Catholic America.” The Center for the Study of Slavery and Its Legacies carries on that vision.

The Center builds upon the creativity of Georgetown students, staff, faculty, and alumni, along with Descendants of the community enslaved by the Maryland Province of Jesuits. Projects range from digitizing archives held at the Library to developing new curriculum for teachers to storytelling through art, theater, and music. The Center promotes collaboration across the university, and between the university community, the Descendant community, and the broader public, to understand this important history and its meaning today.

Two women look at an archived document at a transcription event hosted by the Georgetown Slavery Archive.

A transcription event in Riggs Library, hosted by the Georgetown Slavery Archive, April 2019.

A four-piece band performs for a seated audience. Behind them is a projection screen that reads "The Music of New Orleans".

A musical performance by the Dr. Michael White Quartet at the Center’s inaugural event, March 2023.

Mélisande Short-Colomb stands on stage with her hands crossed in front of her. Behind her is a screen that says "Here I am", the title of her performance.

In the performance, “Here I Am,” Mélisande Short-Colomb weaves narrative, music and imagery together to explore her relationship with the Society of Jesus, which enslaved and sold her ancestors in 1838.

Dahlgren Chapel, a small brick steepled building, sits among a group of trees. In front of it is a large round water fountain.

Stay in Touch!

Subscribe to receive event information and other communications from the Center for the Study of Slavery and Its Legacies.

Sign up