The June 19 holiday, first observed by freed people in Texas in 1866, coincides with the day in 1838 when Georgetown University sold 272 slaves to Louisiana plantations to protect the its finances. Student activists say that the university’s commemoration of the holiday rings hollow, seeing as the administration has failed to honor the 2019 referendum in which over two-thirds of undergraduates voted to establish a semesterly reconciliation fee to benefit descendants of the GU272.
On June 26, the House approved a bill proposed by nonvoting Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) to make Washington, D.C. the 51st state. It now moves to the Senate, where it is expected to be struck down because of a lack of Republican support.
Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) proposed emergency legislation after protests broke out in D.C. and around the country in response to the murder of George Floyd. Although it was passed unanimously, the bill saw some criticism, with activists saying still more needs to be done and Mayor Bowser and the MPD union calling the legislation rushed.
The Class of 2024 Faces Disappointment After Georgetown Reverses Fall 2020 Plan
Many incoming first-year students are struggling to quickly revise their plans for the fall after Georgetown University announced it would no longer be allowing the…
GU Politics Announces Fall 2020 Fellows Class, Celebrates 5th Anniversary
The Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service announced its 11th class of fellows, featuring two people who worked on 2020 presidential campaigns as well…
Student Campaign Calls on GU to Combat Prison Industrial Complex
Georgetown University students launched a petition demanding the university divest its endowment from companies associated with the prison industrial complex Aug. 3. The petition, which…
Cornered by COVID-19 and Tight Finances, GU Students Struggle To Pay for Off-Campus Housing
With their fall plans thrown into disarray by the COVID-19 pandemic, some Georgetown University students find themselves stuck in untenable leases for off-campus housing. The…
GU Students Outraged Over Fall Financial Aid Reductions
Georgetown University disclosed substantial reductions in financial aid for students living off campus Friday, angering many who feel the new changes place undue financial burden…
Georgetown Will No Longer House First-Years on Campus, Plans To Begin All Classes Virtually
Georgetown University will no longer host first-year students on campus, and all students will begin the semester taking all classes online, university administrators announced Wednesday. …
Call Your Mother To Open Georgetown Location Following Months of Delays
Popular bagel store Call Your Mother will open its highly anticipated Georgetown location July 29, following months of delays caused by neighborhood pushback and the…
SFS Establishes New Vice Dean Position as Part of Anti-Racism Effort
The School of Foreign Service appointed professor Scott Taylor as the school’s inaugural vice dean for diversity, equity and inclusion as part of an ongoing…
GAGE Pushes for Guaranteed Graduate Worker Protections as Fall Semester Nears
Georgetown University’s graduate student union is pressuring administrators to negotiate aspects of the school’s fall reopening plan after raising concerns about graduate workers’ safety should…
GUSA Senate Passes Decorum Rules, Confirms New Vice Speaker
The Georgetown University Student Association Senate voted to establish new discussion guidelines during its meeting July 19 in light of several intense debates within the…
Georgetown Restaurants Adjust to New Business, Dining Realities as District Gradually Reopens
Months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic left their dining rooms abandoned, local Georgetown restaurants are seating customers once again and adjusting to a…
Seniors Prepare for an Unconventional Start to Their Final Year
As the start of the fall semester approaches, many Georgetown University seniors find themselves grappling with not being able to spend their final fall semester…
College Creates New First-Year Courses Focused on Racial Injustice
Georgetown College introduced new courses designed to educate first-year students on racial inequities in the United States and ways Georgetown University can address racial injustice. …
GU Community Calls for University Commitment to Survivors as Admin Prepares To Enforce New Title IX Rules
Georgetown University students drafted a petition urging the university to prioritize the interests of survivors while implementing new Title IX rules set to go into…
Georgetown’s Black Student-Athletes Speak Out About Racism on Campus
Black student-athletes voiced their experiences with racism at Georgetown University in a widely shared video titled “I Can’t Breathe,” detailing the kinds of prejudice and…
Georgetown Rejects Hundreds for Fall On-Campus Housing, Leaving Many Students in Difficult Living Situations
Hundreds of Georgetown University students have been denied on-campus housing for the fall semester, with some being rejected despite living in insecure home conditions, according…
Fauci Urges Americans To Trust Medical Authorities as COVID-19 Pandemic Grinds On
Americans must trust health experts’ advice and make personal sacrifices to effectively combat the spread of COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a Tuesday Zoom…
DC Universities Plan to Reopen in the Fall: How Their Reopening Strategies Compare
This article was last updated July 13. Universities’ reopening plans may have changed since then. Georgetown University administrators published the university’s plan for the fall…
Community Members, GUSA Condemn Article Written by Georgetown Student
The Georgetown University Student Association passed a resolution condemning the “racist and ignorant rhetoric” of an article written by a Georgetown University student during a…
Georgetown International Students Confront New Fall Semester Uncertainty
Georgetown University international students are reckoning with a new phase of uncertainty after the Department of Homeland Security introduced new regulations Monday limiting international students’…
Georgetown Will Make Minimal Changes to Title IX Practices Despite New Federal Regulations, Administrators Say
Georgetown University plans to maintain current Title IX processes as much as possible despite new Department of Education regulations set to go into effect next…
Georgetown To Allow Freshmen, Certain Upperclassmen on Campus in the Fall
First-year students and select upperclassmen will be allowed to live on campus during the fall semester, Georgetown University administrators announced in an email Monday detailing…
Students Call for an End to Legacy Admissions at Georgetown
More than 200 students, faculty and graduates have signed an open letter to Georgetown University administrators calling on the school to abandon legacy admissions in…
GUSA Pushes for Work-Study Reform, Evaluates Senate Diversity
The Georgetown University Student Association Senate passed a resolution urging Georgetown University to increase the number of employment opportunities available to students with Federal Work-Study…
Class Ambassador Resigns Facing Student, Graduate Pushback; Administration Pressures GUSA to Revise Related Legislation
Georgetown University graduate Kuran Malhotra (MSB ’20) stepped down from his position as a graduate representative after facing mounting pressure from students, graduates and former…
Students Demand Reduced Tuition, Extended Deferral Deadline in Petition
More than 800 Georgetown University affiliates have signed a petition demanding the university reduce tuition and extend the deferral deadline for the fall semester. The…
African American Studies Department Urges GU To Pursue Anti-Racist Agenda
The department of African American studies at Georgetown University issued a statement calling on the university to take concrete steps to dismantle systemic racism and…
Georgetown Offers Expedited Core Classes Through New August Session
Georgetown University launched an academic program allowing first-year students to complete a core curriculum class before the official start of the school year in late…
Keyonna Jones Reflects on the Role of Art in DC BLM Protests
As protests and calls for racial justice consumed Washington, D.C., local artist and educator Keyonna Jones received a call from a friend about a secret…
House of Representatives Passes DC Statehood Bill in Historic Vote
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to grant statehood to Washington, D.C., marking the first time that either chamber of Congress has voted to make…
Georgetown Students Renew Push for Reconciliation Fee as University Commemorates Juneteenth
Georgetown University student activists have renewed their effort to implement a reconciliation fee for descendants of the GU272 as the university commemorated its first official…
DC Council Unanimously Approves Bill Banning Police Chokeholds and the Purchase of Federal Military Equipment
The Council of the District of Columbia unanimously passed emergency police reform legislation amid nationwide protests for racial justice sparked after a Minneapolis law enforcement…
Students Petition To Make Georgetown Campuses a Sanctuary for Protesters
Hundreds of Georgetown University students signed a petition calling on the university to use its campus spaces as a sanctuary for protesters amid ongoing nationwide…
GU Professor Wins Prestigious History Prize for Biography of Revolutionary Anthropologists
Government department chair Charles King received the 2020 Francis Parkman Prize for his book about a small group of cultural anthropologists working at the beginning…
SFS Faculty Push for Schoolwide Commitment to Racial Justice
Faculty in the School of Foreign Service drafted a petition calling on administrators to combat systemic racial inequalities at Georgetown University and outside the campus…
Klobuchar, Former AG Holder Call for Policing Reform in GU Politics Forum
Public officials have the responsibility to respond to popular unrest at every level of government with broad and tangible criminal justice and policing reform, former…
After Clinching Democratic Nomination for Ward 2 Councilmember, Hoya Graduate Aims To Make History
Brooke Pinto (LAW ’17) beat out a crowded field for the Democratic nomination to represent Ward 2 on the Council of the District of Columbia,…