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McDonogh Voices Addresses John McDonogh and Slavery
Josh Jones-Dilworth ‘98, Dr. Ken Lipartito, Dr. Patricia Watson, and Rob Young '86
McDonogh Voices, the multi-year series of learning and discussion opportunities, featured the second open and honest conversation, New Understandings of American Slavery and John McDonogh, on Wednesday, March 2. Alumni, current and retired faculty, staff, students, and parents listened attentively as presenters gave new insight into John McDonogh, the slaveholder. View the recording.
Rob Young ‘86, President of McDonogh’s Board of Trustees, set the stage for the program stating, “Here’s the truth — John McDonogh made his money buying and selling slaves. That money, in accordance with his will, was used by the City of Baltimore to create McDonogh School in 1873, nearly 23 years after his death.”
He continued, “While John McDonogh never set foot on campus, his legacy is inextricably part of ours, just as slavery is inextricably part of America’s story, both then and yes— today.”
Next, Josh Jones-Dilworth ‘98 introduced speakers Dr. Patricia Watson and Dr. Ken Lipartito of the Business History Group. The two historians were initially hired by the School to compile a commemorative book in honor of the School’s 150th anniversary being celebrated in 2023-24. In researching John McDonogh, they discovered a trove of primary source documents in the archives at Tulane University, which detail his life as a major slaveholder and trader. To date, they have reviewed 10% of the materials.
Following Watson’s presentation on slavery and the slave trade in the United States, Baltimore, and New Orleans as well as John McDonogh's association with it, Lipartito explained how other institutions with connections to slavery have analyzed and expressed their own pasts.
The evening, which concluded with a thoughtful Q&A, was the foundation for the third McDonogh Voices session planned for Tuesday, March 22 at 7:00 p.m. Artist and Retired Art Department Chair Oletha Devane will be joined by artistic historical consultants Dr. Leslie King-Hammond and Dr. Lowery Sims. They will explain the evolution and meaning behind The Memorial to Those Enslaved and Freed—a permanent installation, designed by DeVane, to recognize and honor the enslaved peoples of John McDonogh. The memorial will be dedicated in April. Learn more about McDonogh Voices and register for the next session.
McDonogh Voices is being developed by a group of McDonogh alumni historians and scholars working in partnership with administrators, staff, and trustees.
