Destrehan, La.— Today, the River Parishes Tourism Commission commemorated the 210th Anniversary of what they’ve dubbed America’s First Freedom March.
The ‘march’ was actually one of the largest slave uprisings of the time and it happened along that stretch of the Mississippi River in Louisiana.
“It is imperative to immortalize the contributions of these freedom fighters and to educate all who visit or study this area about their monumental sacrifices to modern society and the development of civil rights,” said Buddy Boe, Executive Director of LARPTC.
The commission took the occasion to introduce the 1811 Slave Revolt Trail, in hopes that people would come out and learn about the history.
Dianne Honore Destrehan, a descendant of the enslaved said, “Actually it leaves we sort of speechless. It’s very dear to my heart my 6th great grandfather was enslaved by the Destrehans and I’m also a descendant on the other side so it’s very emotional and very important educationally.”
The trail stretches from the newly opened 1811 Kid Ory House, where the uprising happened to the Destrehan Plantation, the site of the trial for many of the slaves.
There are 10 kiosks along the trail, that tells the story of the uprising with audio narration by actor Wendell Pierce.
