Hi, my name is Carl Van and I’m the Executive Producer of Georgetown 272 – The Journey, a documentary about the 272 enslaved people sold in 1838 to pay Georgetown University’s debts. We’re currently filming interviews with historians and descendants to bring this hidden history to light. Your support will help us complete production and ensure these voices are heard. Any donation, big or small, makes a difference. Thank you for helping us tell this important story!

The story:

In 1838, the lives of 272 men, women, and children were changed forever. Sold to pay off Georgetown University’s debts, they were torn from their homes in Maryland and shipped to plantations in Louisiana, thousands of miles away from the only life they had known.”

This is the story of those 272 individuals—enslaved people whose names were lost to history until recent efforts uncovered their identities. Their lives, their struggles, their families—they all became part of a tragic chapter in America’s history, and yet, for many years, their story was hidden in plain sight.

Georgetown University, one of the oldest universities in the United States, made a choice that would shape the lives of these people and their descendants. In an effort to settle debts, the university sold 272 enslaved individuals to a group of Louisiana plantation owners, tearing families apart. These men and women were forced to leave the land where they had been born and raised. They were taken far away from their homes in the Maryland countryside, to plantations that stretched across the South.

Through rare photographs, old records, and interviews with museum curators, we will take you back to this pivotal moment in history. You will hear from historians who have spent years digging through archives to piece together the lives of the 272. The names of some, like Isaac, Tom, and Mary, have survived in written records. Others remain unknown, their lives only hinted at by the numbers, but all of them are part of a story that has been waiting to be told.

We’ll also hear from their descendants—people who, just recently, have discovered the connection between their ancestors and Georgetown. These are the people who are working to bring attention to the lost stories of their families and to demand recognition for the role that slavery played in the founding of one of the nation’s most prestigious universities.

But this film is not just about a dark chapter in the past—it’s about how the story of these 272 individuals has echoed across time. The descendants of those enslaved men and women are living with the knowledge that their ancestors’ lives were sold to the highest bidder. For many of them, learning about this connection has been an emotional journey. Some have even traveled to the sites where their ancestors were sold, standing in places where their families were torn apart.

One of the most remarkable things about this story is how little many people knew about it, even up until recently. It wasn’t until 2015, when Georgetown publicly acknowledged its role in the sale, that many of the descendants and the broader public began to learn the full truth. The university’s apology and commitment to repairing the damage that was done are part of a larger conversation about the legacy of slavery in America, and how we must confront it head-on.

Through interviews with history experts, curators, and the descendants of those 272 people, we will see how Georgetown’s actions were part of a much bigger system—a system that stretched from the universities and churches to the plantations, and the entire economy of the United States. This is not a story isolated to Georgetown or even to the state of Maryland. It is part of the broader American story, one that involves the lives of millions of enslaved people.

As we dig deeper into this history, we will also uncover the impact that this story has had on the people who came after. The effects of slavery did not disappear overnight. The wealth gained from enslaved labor helped shape the United States, and it’s clear that the story of the 272 is still relevant today.

But this documentary is more than just a recounting of past events. It’s about finding answers, understanding the connections, and confronting the legacy of those 272 people who were sold to secure Georgetown University’s future. Their lives, their pain, and their sacrifice can no longer be ignored.

This is their story. This is the story of the 272. And it is a story that still matters today.