The descendants of slaves who built St Louis University have demanded $74 billion in reparations for their ancestors’ years of unpaid labor.
The University of Missouri itself only has a $1.5 billion endowment, meaning dozens of descendants are demanding more than 70 times what the school has in its assets.
According to economist Julianne Malveaux, the descendants of slaves deserve $365 million based on her calculations that the 70 enslaved people worked 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, between 1823 and 1865.
This $365 million, with interest over time, amounts to $74 billion, he says.
The push for monetary reparations was made by the Descendants of the Enslaved at St. Louis University, a group mobilized by the great-grandchildren of slaves.
The descendants of slaves in Missouri who built St Louis University have demanded $74 billion in reparations for their ancestors’ years of unpaid labor. In the photo: the first university in 1841.
According to economist Julianne Malveaux, the descendants of slaves deserve the $74 billion based on her calculations that the 70 enslaved people worked 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, between 1823 and 1865.
The group was joined by economists and civil rights lawyers in unveiling their demands Tuesday in front of the Jesuit university, founded in 1818.
Areva Martin, a civil rights attorney, wrote to St. Louis University President Fred Pestello, telling him the institution needs to improve.
He said the university owned, sold and trafficked slaves, and that those people “were robbed of their wages and treated them cruelly and disregarded their humanity.”
Slaves were moved from Maryland to St Louis explicitly to build the university, he said.
Areva Martin, a civil rights attorney, wrote to St. Louis University President Fred Pestello, telling him the institution needs to improve
Martin, who represents more than 200 descendants of Henrietta Mills and Charles Chauvin, said, “I look forward to working with university leaders to come up with a plan to compensate the descendants for what they are rightfully owed.”
A great-granddaughter of Mills, Robin Proudie, said on Tuesday: ‘We are not begging. We are asking for your debt to be paid.
“We decided as a family that we would defend not only ourselves, but all the enslaved descendants of those who built this country.”
Economist Malveaux said: ‘The calculations we made and the method we used are traditional methods. The university, frankly, is backward, negligent and wrong.’
Proudie founded DSLUE after discovering that his ancestors were slaves in St Louis.
A statement from the SLU read: ‘The SLU’s participation in the institution of slavery was a grave sin.
‘We recognize that progress in our efforts to reconcile with this shameful history has been slow and we regret the pain 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 reestablish 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.’
An old representation of St Louis University.
The reparations group was joined by economists and civil rights lawyers to present their demands Tuesday in front of the university, founded in 1818.
Pictured: St Louis University, where about 13,546 students attend
In December 2022, St. Louis announced that it was creating a commission to consider paying reparations to descendants of victims of racist policies, posing interesting challenges in a struggling city of 300,000 where 45 percent of residents are blacks.
Democratic St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed an executive order to create a nine-member voluntary commission to explore and recommend repairs, following a lead set by cities in Illinois, California and Rhode Island.
“The people closest to the problems are the closest to the solution,” Jones said.
‘I look forward to reviewing the work of this commission to chart a course that restores the vitality of Black communities in our city after decades of disinvestment. We cannot succeed as a city if half of it is allowed to fail.’
Those who join the committee must live in St. Louis, and each member must represent a different background, with at least one member of the clergy, an attorney, a public health professional, a civil rights advocate, a youth, and a academic person.
The executive order describes the committee’s work as: ‘Establish a community-driven commission to evaluate the history of slavery, segregation, and other racial harms in the city of St. Louis; explore the current manifestations of that history; and ultimately recommend a proposal to begin repairing the damage that has been caused.”
St. Louis has long been among the most segregated cities in the country. Nearly half of its 300,000 residents are black, and many of them live in north St. Louis, where crime and poverty rates are high.
The median household income for white St. Louis residents is $55,000, nearly double the median income for black households, $28,000.
Racial justice advocates blame decades of racism for inequality.
Nimrod Chapel Jr., president of the Missouri NAACP, said segregation and racism “without a doubt” have harmed blacks in St. Louis and other parts of the state.
“Repairs would be one way to start, and it’s important to consider all options,” Chapel said.