By Tanzania Kennedy
Trinity Times Correspondent
In honor of Black History Month, students enrolled in Trinity Washington’s “Christ, the Church and Social Justice” service-learning course (RST 223) are preparing a panel discussion honoring the descendents of individuals who were enslaved on the Jesuit-owned White Marsh Plantation, located at what is now the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bowie, Maryland.
Students are leading all aspects of the campuswide social justice event – from concept and outreach to implementation. The event titled “Trinity Serves: Exploring Our Roots and Honoring Our Ancestors” will be held Feb. 25, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. in O’Connor Hall.
Panelists include Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell of Washington, president of the National Black Catholic Congress and pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Largo, Maryland, and Dr. Lynn Locklear Nehemiah, a descendent of one of the 272 enslaved individuals sold by Georgetown University to fund their institution.
According to Jeanine Marino, an assistant professor of religious studies at Trinity Washington University, the “Christ, the Church and Social Justice” course is designed to help students move beyond theory and put social justice into practice.
“Service-learning classes help combine the academics with practice,” Marino said. “It’s not just reading or lectures, it’s learning how to live out social justice in real life.”
This new course at Trinity helps students translate academic learning into real-world skills such as community organizing, communication and collaboration. These skills extend beyond the classroom into future careers in advocacy, education and public service.
Nneka Browner, a journalism and media studies major enrolled in RST 223, said she was drawn to the course to better understand the intersection of faith and social justice. Browner, who serves an administrator at her church, said the class will help strengthen her advocacy work with youth.
“The title really caught my attention,” Browner said. “Those two words – Christ and social justice – just stuck out to me.”
Trisha Smith, university librarian at Trinity Washington University, said the panel reflects key goals of a liberal arts education.
“Learning social justice is part of the liberal arts experience,” Smith said. “It helps students become more engaged citizens who understand the world and how to address complex social issues.”
Smith also noted that libraries play a vital role in preserving historical records and creating spaces for dialogue.
According to Marino, the panel will focus on learning the history of the Catholic Church enslaving individuals in the United States. One of Marino’s goals for the panel is to honor the descendants and the stories of those who were enslaved by the church, and reflect on how the church has acknowledged its role in the history of enslavement.
Marino also noted that students will be running the event.
“Students are going to be working directly with the speakers,” she said. “They’ll be the ones contacting the descendants and Bishop Campbell to let them know they’ll be on the panel and to ask the questions. They’ll be the ones greeting our guests on the panel and introducing the topic.”
Organizing the panel during Black History Month adds deeper meaning to the students’ work, connecting classroom learning to a broader legacy of Black history and social justice.
“Being part of something like this during Black History Month makes the learning feel more intentional,” Browner said. “It’s not just about history – it’s about understanding it and honoring it in real time.”
This panel will be the first of three other student-led events planned through this class, the second will be an interfaith event in March and the last will be an earth day event in April.