LAPLACE, La. (WGNO) — In line with Black History Month, the Descendants Project announced the acquisition of Woodland Plantation, the site of the largest slave revolt in American history.
The acquisition brought the plantation under Black ownership for the first time in its 231-year history. The founders of the Descendants Project, sisters Dr. Joy and Jo Banner, say they are dedicated to protecting the legacy of those who fought for their freedom.
Banner spoke on why the Descendants Project gained ownership of the site. “We eradicate the legacies of slavery, and that’s through the preservation of historic assets,” she added. “We as a descendant community are still living with those legacies. So, in order to learn, we need to preserve places like this.”
While it is still in the planning phase, Banner emphasized they are not planning the site as a tourist attraction; instead, “It is a site of learning, a site of memory and dedication.”
There are also plans to feature arts and culture programming, inspired by famous jazz musician Edward “Kid” Ory, born in 1886 at Woodland Plantation. The plantation is now known as the 1811 Kid Ory Historic House.
Part of their efforts on the site will focus on archaeological work. “We have so many unidentified, unmarked burial grounds, some very close to the site, that we want to make sure are preserved and remembered,” Banner said.
Other exhibits will teach about the legacy of environmental racism, highlighting some of the Descendants Project’s ongoing advocacy work, particularly the “Plantation to Plant throughline,” an effort to protect Wallace from a proposed grain terminal that would pump over 100 tons of pollution into the air, which they say will threaten the community’s quality of life. “It’s not a coincidence that the same footprint of these plantations is the exact same footprint of Cancer Alley,” Banner said.
The Descendants Project made an official announcement in a livestream on their Facebook page.
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