The University of St. Thomas School of Law’s spring Mission Roundtable event featured a conversation with Monique Maddox, president and chief executive officer of the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation.
In 2016, Maddox, who grew up in Maringouin, Louisiana, discovered that her ancestors were enslaved by Jesuit priests when she happened to read a New York Times article about 272 African American men, women and children who were sold to Southern plantations in 1838 to help pay off the debts of Georgetown University.
The revelation became a catalyst for Maddox to join with other descendants of Jesuit enslavement and embark, first with Georgetown and then the Society of Jesus, on a multiyear journey that has included extensive dialogue to name and address the harm and open a path to healing – the basic principles of the restorative justice model.
The establishment of the Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Trust, which eventually led to the foundation, was one product of their work. The organization, led by Maddox, works to address the generational harm caused by slavery. It financially supports individuals, organizations and communities that effectively carry on activities that advance truth, racial healing and transformation throughout the United States. It also offers educational scholarships and provides assistance to meet the emergency financial needs of the impoverished elderly and/or infirm descendants of individuals enslaved by the Jesuits.
Maddox shared her story with law students and law school faculty and staff members through a conversation with Father Daniel Griffith, law professor, Wenger family faculty fellow and founding director of the law school’s Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing.
A call to future lawyers
With many law students in attendance, Father Griffith asked Maddox about the role she thinks legal professionals play in shaping a more just society.
“We know the underlying roots of what has caused the divisions in this country and around the world haven't been addressed,” she said. “And that's where the truth, racial healing, transformation piece comes in.”
Maddox urged students to examine the systemic origins of racial disparities – such as voter suppression and economic inequities – and to use their legal expertise to challenge unjust policies. She also encouraged students, in life and the practice of law, to seek out individuals with different viewpoints and backgrounds.
“When you look at the law, and you look at how people are harmed, you have to look at it from multiple perspectives, not just from one perspective,” she said. “Engaging in dialog with other people who don't look like you, have other lived experiences, whether they are attorneys, whether they are priests, whether they are people in your community, not necessarily about your cases, but just continuing to immerse yourself in understanding the experiences of other people will help you form different ideas.”
As part of the event, Maddox was honored with the School of Law’s Iustitia et Lex award, which recognizes individuals who embody the mission of the law school in their professional lives and who have made significant contributions to the legal community or society. Past recipients include Sister Sally Furay, former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court Kathleen Blatz and former federal Judge Diana Murphy.
The School of Law’s Mission Roundtable events are biannual gatherings when the law school community pauses to discern and reflect on its mission, both in regard to its meaning for students, faculty and staff, but also its application beyond the school’s building.
