Whitney Plantation

As we pulled up to the Whitney Plantation and I saw the sign saying "the most important property on the Mississippi" I knew that the experience was going to be one I would not forget. Just driving up the driveway, I felt a unique sort of connection to the grounds on which we would be working. When the time of the tour began I was incredibly anxious to hear about the inspirations and plans for the plantation, as the owner of the property, John, began to speak he gave life to the stories surrounding the plantation and that is where the emotional connection began. As we went into the church and listened to him speak and we were surrounded by the statues of slave children, each one of them with a specific name and identity I felt that I had a unique and individual connection to each of the children.

As we continued to tour, we read accounts of the slaves from Louisiana and the emotions I felt kept coming on as the pains of my ancestors weighed heavier and heavier on me. Seeing the slave quarter was surreal. Just imagining the slave being there, living there, spending their lives there, was so psychologically impacting. For me, doing physical labor on the plantation was almost heartbreaking thinking that had I been born 200 years prior, that is what I would be spending my life doing.

I believe that going to the Whitney Plantation set the proper stage for the rest of the week. Since the focus of the trip is on oppression, learning the history of one of the most oppressing institutions known to man helped get me in the mind set of how recognizing the history of oppression can help lead us to progression and forward movement. After this phenomenal experience I cannot wait to see what the rest of the week entails.

Christina Gardner