Georgetown to Rename Building for Isaac Hawkins, One of 272 Enslaved in 1838 Sale

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April 13, 2017 – For Jessica Tilson, searching through birth and death certificates and other records of her ancestors brings each of them to life – including Isaac Hawkins, one of the 272 enslaved individuals who were sold by the Maryland Province of  Jesuits in 1838 to benefit Georgetown.
“I try to think about what my ancestors looked like,” says the mother of two, who is also a student at Southern University in Baton Rouge. “I look at myself and my cousins and wonder what genes were passed down.”
Tilson will be among the many descendants from Louisiana and other parts of the country visiting Georgetown on April 18 for a day of events that include a building dedication ceremony. Georgetown will rename one of its historic buildings after Tilson's ancestor, Isaac Hawkins.
The renaming of the building comes with input from the descendant community and at the recommendation of Georgetown’s Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation to honor the lives of the 272 enslaved women, children and men sold to Louisiana plantation owners Jesse Batey and Henry Johnson.
Acknowledging the Past
Hawkins’ name appears first on the Articles of Agreement drafted by Rev. Thomas Mulledy, S.J., who brokered the deal to sell Hawkins and the other individuals.
Maurice Jackson

“As we looked at names, the burning question was ‘How could we acknowledge the real personal names of the enslaved 272 children, women and men who were sold in 1838?’ ” says history professor Maurice Jackson, who served on the working group. “These were real people with real names. At first, it was difficult, and we could not decide how to choose. We thought if we take the name of the first person, in which some ways he becomes representative of the other enslaved black people sold. In naming this building Isaac Hawkins Hall, Georgetown takes another step forward as we attempt to do what is necessary on ...

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