Article: “Georgetown University Plans Steps to Atone for Slave Past”
Before Reading
Do companies and organizations that thrived from slavery in the United States owe a debt of responsibility to the descendants of those slaves? Or, is history full of past injustices, and it’s impractical and illogical to provide benefits to descendants of wrongs committed long ago?
Questions for Comprehension and Analysis
1. What series of steps will Georgetown University take to atone for the past?
2. What provision does the plan not include?
3. Why does it still remain to be seen whether the initiatives will result in meaningful change, according to Prof. Craig Steven Wilder?
4. How did the university begin the process of trying to figure out what responsibilities it might have on account of its slave-holding past?
5. What role did slaves play in Georgetown’s history? And, in what ways was the university’s dependence on slavery deeper and broader than originally believed?
What Do You Think?
Do you think Georgetown is making the right decision with its announcement? Do you think it should go even further? Why?