The Virginia Theological Seminary, an Episcopal seminary located outside of Alexandria, Virginia, has announced that it’s put aside an impressive $1.7 million in reparation funds. Why? The seminary, which now has an enrollment of just under 200 students, wants to pay reparations to the descendants of slaves who were once forced to work on its campus.
"As we seek to mark Seminary's milestone of 200 years, we do so conscious that our past is a mixture of sin as well as grace," said the institution’s dean and president, the Rev. Ian S. Markham, in a statement. “This is the seminary recognizing that along with repentance for past sins, there is also a need for action.”
As Dara Sharif points out at The Root, the seminary’s history has deep roots in slavery. In fact, it was founded by more than one man who owned slaves, including Francis Scott Key, author of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” From there, it took the seminary until 1951 to admit its first black student. Before that, the school had a segregated campus for black students at Bishop Payne Divinity School in Petersburg.
Disturbingly, it’s actually more common than not for institutions from this period to have relied on slave labor, which is no excuse or absolution, but rather a reminder that all of these schools should be following suit and offering restitution. No amount of money could ever compensate enough or make up for slavery, but, especially as structural racism keeps black Americans chronically disenfranchised, this is the very least institutions can do.
Some schools, such as Georgetown University, have recently moved to pay reparations to descendants of those who were traded as slaves by the university. The decision to do so was made by the undergraduates, each of which will pay just $27 more per year in tuition as a result.
How does this work in practice for the Virginia Theological Seminary? CNN reports that the school does not know exactly how many enslaved people worked at the seminary. A task force established by the seminary will work to find slave descendants.
It doesn’t appear that the seminary will offer scholarships or tuition waivers to descendants.
The Virginia Theological Seminary is a small school. Still, this response should inspire other institutions to build similar reparation funds. Offering tuition waivers and scholarships is a good step, but the fact of the matter is that not everyone pursues higher education—especially when those educational opportunities are often stacked against people of color. Reparations to descendants is a direct and conscious way to take action and offer more than just words of apology.