The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold To Build the American Catholic Church

NYU journalism professor Swarns (American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White, and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama) presents a sobering examination of the causes and ramifications of the 1838 U.S. sale of 272 people enslaved by Jesuit priests. The proceeds of the sale were used to support Georgetown College, now known as Georgetown University. Expanding upon a 2016 story she wrote for the New York Times, Swarns reveals that for more than a century, the Jesuit order used the proceeds from buying and selling enslaved people to fund its buildings, sustain its clergy, and drive expansion. Swarns’s work centers on Jeremy Alexander and Melissa Kemp, who learned about their common ancestors, Anna and Louisa Mahoney, sisters who were separated by the 1838 sale. Their inquiries initiated heated discussions regarding reparations for descendants of people enslaved to keep the institution afloat. Narrator Karen Murray’s somber, solid reading impressively conveys the significance of this vital work.