Descendants of those enslaved by St. Louis University calculated their ancestors’ unpaid labor. Here’s how

ST. LOUIS — Descendants of the Black people enslaved by St. Louis University have for the first time calculated how much labor and wealth was stolen from their ancestors, their latest effort in a yearslong push for the university to “make good on promises of justice and accountability.”

On Thursday, descendants, along with Democratic state Sen. Karla May and economists, announced that the total wealth acquired from stolen labor, including the construction of the Jesuit institution, totaled between $361 million and $70-plus billion.

For years, members of the Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved, like descendants of other people enslaved by universities across the country, have worked to reclaim their families’ stories, including asking for broader recognition and accountability from the university itself. After Thursday’s announcement, Areva Martin, the lead counsel for the descendants, told St. Louis University President Fred Pestello in a letter that while the institution has “taken steps to recognize and memorialize its history through the Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation Project (SHMRP),” there was still more to be done.

READ MORE: At least 70 people were enslaved by the Jesuits in St. Louis. Descendants are now telling their stories

“While St. Louis University’s acknowledgement of its history has been a welcome demonstration of forthrightness, acknowledgements do not make my clients whole,” Martin said in a statement. “I look forward to working with university leadership to come up with a plan to compensate the descendants for what they are rightfully owed.”

Robin Proudie is the executive director and founder of the Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved. She has spent years researching her family’s history and calling for justice. Photo by Gabrielle Hays/PBS NewsHour

Robin Proudie, the executive director and founder of Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved, is descended from Henrietta Mills, who was enslaved by the Jesuits in St. Louis. Proudie has spent many years piecing together her family’s history and telling Mills’ story across the country. Documents show Mills was 16 years old when she married 20-year-old Charles Chauvin on June 28, 1860. On the same sheet of paper as her and her husband’s names are listed another four words: “slave of St Louis University.”

On Thursday, Proudie said her family has waited patiently for the university to reconcile with its past, but progress has been slow.

“Our ancestors deserve to be taken from the darkness and brought into the light,” she said, adding that descendants gathered on the campus Thursday to “stand for our ancestors and say, ‘They were not some nameless souls.’”

May said the 70 people researchers have identified as enslaved by the university were never compensated for their work and have yet to be properly honored on campus.

“St. Louis University has a chance to do something positive by properly acknowledging the tragic history,” she said. “The beginning of trying to make this right is saying the names of the enslaved so that we may never forget them.”

In a statement, St. Louis University spokesperson Clayton Berry said the school could not yet provide a detailed response to the information shared at the campus event.

“At this point, we can affirm that we understand and share the sense of urgency expressed by several members of the descendant community,” he said, adding that the university’s participation in slavery “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,” he added. The statement ended with a promise to continue the reconciliation work and re-establish connections with descendant families.

Since learning of their family’s history of being owned and traded by the Jesuits in Missouri, descendants have worked to piece together their lineage and push for the Jesuits to recognize the harm done to them for generations. Photo by Gabrielle Hays/PBS NewsHour

The Society of Jesuits relied on enslaved labor around the world since its founding in 1540. That included in the United States until 1865 when slavery was abolished. During that time, the faith-based group used enslaved Black people to support their churches and schools in states like Missouri, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Louisiana, Alabama, Illinois and Kansas. Saint Louis University along with Georgetown University and Spring Hill College relied directly upon enslaved labor.

The latest estimate of how much free labor the school used was calculated based on a “comprehensive assessment by leading economists.”

Economist Julianne Malveaux said at Thursday’s event that the estimate was based on what the university’s 70 enslaved people would have earned with a low wage — five cents an hour — for 24 hours a day, from 1823 until the abolition of slavery in 1865. That figure was also adjusted for inflation.

Speaking Thursday on the campus that her ancestors helped build, Proudie said her family made the decision to stand up not only for itself, “but for all the enslaved descendants of those who built this country.”