Southern University is recognizing Black History Month with a series of events on campus. 

One of the most notable presentations is about a collaborative effort to trace the genealogical histories of 272 enslaved African-Americans who were forced to leave the District of Columbia for Louisiana.

This happened in 1838, when the Jesuit priests who owned the slaves sold them to Louisiana plantation owners. 

The effort to trace their genealogies is called The Gu272 Project and will be presented by Jessica Tilson, a Southern University alumna who happens to be a descendent of some of the 272.

The project humanizes the enslaved individuals who were owned by Georgetown University, a Jesuit institution. Apparently, as University's priests reviewed the institution's financial state, they calculated that the cost of owning slaves was more expensive than paid labor. The priests may have also been aware of the changing attitude towards slavery in the D.C. area, as an increasing number of educated people developed a negative view of the practice. 

The presentation at Southern will take place Wednesday, Feb. 12 in the John B. Cade Library, Classroom 1, which is on the second floor.

Additional Southern University-sponsored events associated with Black History education are listed below.  

-A showing of the film 'Harriot' on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. in Classroom 1 of the library. 

-A showing of the film 'School Daze' on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in Classroom 1 of the library. 

-A showing of the film 'Marshall' on March 4 at 6 p.m. in Classroom 1 of the library. 

-A showing of the film 'When they See Us' on March 11 at 6 p.m. in Classroom 1 of the library. 

-A showing of the film 'The Hate U Give' on March 18 at 6 p.m. in Classroom 1 of the library. 

-Black History Month Quiz Contest on Kahoot available from Feb. 25 at noon to 1 p.m.

Click here for more information on these events and here for more information on Gu272.