Robin Proudie’s Fight For Reparations Is Meant To Inspire

Robin Proudie speaking during a recent candlelight vigil. Proudie is the Founder of the Descendants of Saint Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE). She is seeking accountability and reparative justice for the descendants of the enslaved at the University. Photo provided by Image Elevators.
Robin Proudie speaking during a recent candlelight vigil. Proudie is the Founder of the Descendants of Saint Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE). She is seeking accountability and reparative justice for the descendants of the enslaved at the University. Photo provided by Image Elevators.

Robin Proudie’s Fight For Reparations Is Meant To Inspire

By Tia Carol Jones

Robin Proudie is the Founder of Descendants of Saint Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE). The non-profit organization is working to connect descendants of the University’s enslaved, allies and community members in ways that lead to remembrance, restoration and reparative justice. Proudie answered questions about reparative justice and how her model can be used nationally and locally in Chicago in the fight for reparations.

Citizen Newspaper: Why is working towards reparations so personal and important to you?

Robin Proudie: Advocating for reparations is deeply personal to me because I have always understood that the socio-economic, health and wealth disparities, housing inequities, and systemic racism that plague our communities today are not by chance—they are the direct consequences of intergenerational and multi-dimensional harms inflicted on us. Chattel slavery, Jim Crow apartheid, mass incarceration, redlining, and other forms of institutionalized oppression created the foundation for these injustices, and they continue to keep Black communities at a structural disadvantage. These are not just historical wrongs; they are ongoing human rights violations if you ask me.

In 2019, when the Saint Louis University and the Jesuits reached out to my family, acknowledging their culpability in trafficking upwards of 70 of our direct ancestors to enrich themselves, we knew we had a responsibility to act. The research revealed, eleven SLU presidents, all of whom were Catholic priests, bought, sold, and bred our Ancestors between 1823 and 1865 in the Missouri region. 

They were not just enslaved; they were forced into a religion that they did not choose and their culture, name, identities were completely stripped from them.  These universities and religious orders did not ascend through moral or intellectual superiority—they built their wealth, prestige, and legacy on the backs of our ancestors while denying them basic human rights.

We recognize that we are in a unique position to have learned this history about our family. Many Black people today may never trace their lineage before 1865, as records were deliberately erased or never kept. Knowing this, we felt a deep responsibility to pursue this fight not just for our family, but for all descendants of the enslaved. I felt an overwhelming duty to ensure that the suffering and contributions of our ancestors were no longer ignored or minimized.


The billion-dollar success of institutions like Saint Louis University today stands in stark contrast to the economic struggles of the descendants of the very people who built them. The successors of those priests continue to benefit from their historical ties to wealth built on slavery, while Black communities remain burdened by the generational consequences of that exploitation. Reparations are not just about financial redress; they are about restoring what was stolen—our health, wealth, families, culture, and dignity.

True repair means ensuring that the descendants of the enslaved receive the acknowledgment, restitution, and justice that they are owed. But it also means holding these institutions accountable for dismantling the very systems of oppression they helped create and still uphold today. This fight is not just about the past—it’s about demanding a just future. 


CN: Were you surprised to learn that there were institutions in the Midwest that actively participated in and benefited from the enslavement of Africans? 

RP: No, I wasn’t surprised. I have always understood that any institution built before 1865 was likely constructed, maintained, or financially sustained by enslaved labor. What did strike me was the deliberate erasure of this history. When I learned the story of my direct ancestors—who not only built the Saint Louis University but were also among the enslaved people trafficked by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) to establish the Georgetown University—I knew I had to dig deeper.

 Craig Steven Wilder’s book Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities confirmed for me: most secular and religious and academic institutions, including those in the Midwest, actively profited from the trafficking and forced labor of enslaved people. The Jesuits at SLU not only enslaved my ancestors but also sold, and bred some of them off when it suited their interests. Most of this history was hidden, sanitized, or outright denied for generations. While it was not surprising, it was hard to swallow. That’s why our work is critical—we are committed to educating the public and ensuring the complete historical narrative is told and not erased and that they be held accountable. 


CN: How are you ensuring there is awareness about the issue and ensuring those institutions are held accountable?

RP: My organization, Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE), is intentional about building strategic partnerships because they are essential to sustaining our efforts and pushing institutions like the Saint Louis University (SLU) to be accountable. We have worked diligently to amplify descendant voices by organizing public education initiatives, panel discussions, lectures, and direct advocacy. We engage with policymakers, faith leaders, students, media, and the broader community to ensure this history is known and our demands for reparations are heard. 

This February we launched our Black History Month “Black History Lives!” The Billboard Campaign, made possible by a grant from the Decolonizing Wealth Project (DWP), which helped us push back against the erasure of Black History, as well as made it clear there are organizations like DWP and Reparative Actions who believe in and support our efforts. Engaging the SLU student groups has been critical—students and faculty at SLU invited me to lecture on this history, and many were eager to assist in our redress efforts. Their support led to the passing of Senate Resolution 007-24, which stands in solidarity with DSLUE and urges SLU leadership to adhere to our 10-Point Reparations Plan.

I have also found that keeping these compelling stories in the media is key—not only to amplify our demands but to galvanize the community and lend our voice to the narrative. We will not allow others to sanitize our history or minimize our fight for repair. Partnering with award-winning civil rights attorney Areva Martin, economist Dr. Julianne Malveaux, and Dr. Thomas Kraemer, we hosted a teach-in at SLU, where they calculated the labor extraction from our enslaved ancestors to be between $360 million and $74 billion.

 This revelation made DSLUE go viral, which landed DSLUE in a conversation with leadership and moved the pathway forward with the President assigning two descendant liaisons. Our ongoing collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Smith Center Community Curation and participation in panel discussions and public forums continue to expand awareness and strengthen our movement.

These combined efforts—strategic partnerships, student engagement, and media advocacy—have pushed institutions like SLU toward real action. The first step in our 10-Point Plan will take place on March 26, 2025, when Saint Louis University will issue a formal apology to DSLUE descendants, marking a historic first. But an apology alone is not enough. We will continue to push for full reparative justice—ensuring that memorialization, financial restitution, and institutional accountability follow. This is just the beginning.  


CN: What would you like to see happen with these higher education institutions that engaged in the enslavement of Africans?

RP: I believe that institutions that participated in the enslavement of Africans must move beyond acknowledgment to the implementation of comprehensive reparative actions centered on Remembrance, Restoration, and Repair. Remembrance ensures that the contributions and suffering of the enslaved are visibly recognized, as seen in Brown University’s Slavery Memorial and the University of Virginia’s Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, and we urge Saint Louis University (SLU) to do the same. Restoration calls for research initiatives that examine the intergenerational and multi-dimensional impact of enslavement on Africans, ensuring that the full truth is studied and shared. It must also include efforts to restore familial ties that were severed by slavery, acknowledging the generational trauma caused by forced separations.

 Repair requires tangible actions, including financial restitution, economic and housing initiatives, scholarships, curriculum development, and community investments that directly benefit the descendants of the enslaved, centering them in the process and ensuring parity in opportunities. Beyond compensation, it must also focus on restoring the dignity, agency, and rightful place of descendants in institutions that profited from their ancestors' forced labor. By taking these steps, institutions can move from being perpetrators of injustice to proactive participants in meaningful and lasting transformation, ensuring that these harms are never repeated.


CN: How can your work serve as a model locally in St. Louis and nationally?

RP: Our work at Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE) is setting a powerful precedent for institutional accountability and reparative justice, both in St. Louis and across the nation. We have demonstrated that direct descendant advocacy is a catalyst for institutional change, compelling powerful entities like Saint Louis University (SLU) to move beyond acknowledgment and toward action. Our 10-Point Reparations Plan provides a comprehensive blueprint for redress, demanding financial restitution, memorialization, economic and housing development for descendants, and long-term commitments to repair the harm caused by slavery and systemic oppression.

We aren’t waiting for institutions to figure this out on their own—we are leading the charge, making it clear that reparations are not optional, but necessary. We have strategically built local support, working alongside scholars, historians, policymakers, and student organizations to build momentum. This includes our collaboration with the SLU Student Government Association (SGA), which passed Senate Resolution 007-24 in solidarity with DSLUE, calling on university leadership to implement real reparative action. The upcoming formal public apology from SLU on March 26, 2025, is the first milestone in our plan, but it is just the beginning—we are steadfast in ensuring all ten points are fully implemented.

Beyond St. Louis, DSLUE is proving that descendant-led movements can reshape national conversations on reparative justice. Our strategic use of media, public awareness campaigns, and high-profile partnerships has turned up the pressure on institutions to act. Through billboard campaigns, teach-ins, and public forums, we have successfully galvanized support and moved the University from talk into the action. 

Our viral revelation on the $360 million to $74 billion cost in labor extraction from our Ancestors to SLU set a national precedent for how descendant-led organizations can use historical research to quantify stolen labor and demand financial restitution. DSLUE is not just calling for change—we are showing institutions exactly how to make it happen. We have partnered with leading experts, including economists Dr. Julianne Malveaux and Dr. Thomas Kramer, reparative justice attorneys Areva Martin and Claire McFarland to provide institutions with data-driven frameworks for reparative action. Their expertise has helped validate our demands and guide universities in navigating the complexities of reparations.

This work is new territory for many colleges and universities, and what we’ve found is that many don’t even know where to start. DSLUE is showing them how to do it the right way—through strategic engagement, direct descendant involvement, and a focus on mutual benefits for both the university and descendant communities. We are not here to help institutions ease their guilt—we are here to ensure that they take responsibility, repair the harm, and invest in a future where descendants are no longer excluded from the wealth they helped create. Our work serves as a model for universities, religious institutions, and other entities with ties to slavery, proving that reparative justice is not just about the past—it is about creating equity, opportunity, and transformation for future generations.


CN: Where can people go to find out more about your work?

RP: People can learn more about our work by visiting DSLUE.org, where we provide in-depth information about our Mission, History and our advocacy efforts. Please feel free to reach out to support us on this sacred journey.


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