DePaul University Division of Mission and Ministry > Education > Vincentians & Slavery

Vincentians and Slavery

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St. Mary's of the Barrens, letterhead engraving, about 1885.
St. Mary's of the Barrens, letterhead engraving, about 1885. ©2023 Vincentian Persons
DePaul University is partnering with the Congregation of the Mission Western Province to study the historical relationship between the Vincentians and slavery, and the unjust legacies of that relationship which impacted the DePaul campus and community. To provide leadership in this work as it relates to our commitment to antiracism and equity, the Office of the President commissioned a Task Force to Address the Vincentians' Relationship to Slavery in 2021. Comprised of faculty, staff, and students representing a range of DePaul stakeholders in this work, the task force is engaged in documenting the history, curating educational resources, renaming campus spaces in honor of the enslaved persons, raising public awareness, and partnering in further Black equity initiatives underway at DePaul.

To learn more about this project, read the announcement about the Task Force issued in Newsline, and contact vincentianslavery@depaul.edu​.

  • John T. Richardson Library Room 300:  Formerly named after Bishop Joseph Rosati, the room is renamed after Aspasia LeCompte, enslaved by Bishop Rosati and other Catholic enslavers before winning her freedom in 1839.
  • Belden-Racine Hall:  A student residence building on the Lincoln Park Campus, also renamed after Aspasia LeCompte.
  • Rosati House:  The Vincentians’ residence nearby DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus, to be renamed by the Western Province of the Congregation of the Mission.
  • DeAndreis-Rosati Memorial Archives: The Western Province of the Congregation of the Mission’s collections held by the University Library, renamed The Vincentian Archives.

The goal of the Black Equity Initiative is to transform the experiences of Black students, faculty, and staff on campus through positive and successful outcomes that highlight, support, retain, and foster success.

View the Black Equity Initiative document

  • Fr. Memo Campuzano, CM, Liaison 
  • Adora Catherine Alava, Student Government Association
  • Veronica Appleton, College of Communication
  • Min. Jené Colvin, Division of Mission and Ministry
  • Dr. Euan Hague, Department of Geography and School of Public Service
  • Dr. Stephen Haymes, International Studies program
  • Dr. Valerie Johnson, Department of Political Science, Academic Affairs
  • Morgen MacIntosh Hodgetts, DePaul University Library
  • Dr. Julie E. Moody-Freeman, Center for Black Diaspora 
  • Jamie Nelson, DePaul University Library
  • Dr. Don Opitz, School of Continuing and Professional Studies 
  • Dr. Elizabeth Ortiz, Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity
  • Dr. Lori Pierce, Department of African and Black Diaspora Studies
  • Vicky Privert, Black Student Union
  • Dr. Margaret Storey, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
  • Leyfane Thomas, School of Continuing and Professional Studies and Staff Council
  • Shajuan Young, Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity

Questions? Email us at vincentianslavery@depaul.edu.