Beginning a Conversation about Loretto Slaveholding and its Implications

What the Loretto Community now knows about its practices of slaveholding, 1812-1865, is an unsatisfactory combination of a very few documents, some speculation and good guesses, and a very disconcerting realization that we have a large responsibility to which we have barely attended. This presentation is offered as an inspiration and a prod for Loretto to get on with the work of discovering the factual details of our past practices and identifying families and individuals among present descendants so as to enter into dialogue and hope-filled collaborations.