-“I’m making the cannon balls, you bring the cannons.”
Our journey began in the St. John’s Parish at the Whitney
Plantation owned by John Cummings.
Pulling into the drive, an eerie presence of the past brought a
stillness to the conversation that hummed throughout the van. We unloaded from the vehicles and met Mr.
John Cummings, owner of Whitney, and Professor Ibrahim, Director of Communications
and History at the plantation’s church to begin our tour. We were brought up to speed on the history of
New Orleans and the Whitney Plantation itself.
Cummings passionately spoke of his vision to create a memorial tribute
to the slaves that resided in the state of Louisiana and is doing so through
the viewpoint of the slave children. He
explained that it was vital to stress the significance of the slave’s story and
life rather than focusing on the fine, detailed furniture and architecture of
plantation life as so many other tours do.
This is in order for us as a society to comprehend the complete history
of slavery from all viewpoints, without any blanketed material, as a necessary step
towards neutralizing racism. His main
goal is to humanize what was stripped of that natural title so that we may
begin to identify and correct the social and cultural influences that still
resonate strongly throughout our worlds today.
I sit here typing this many hours after my visit, completely
shaken to my core. I feel enlightened,
horrified, awe-struck, and miserably saddened by what I have experienced today.
Chills raced across my flesh while walking through the Field of Angels, a
tribute to slave children who passed before their third birthday. It made me
stop and think of all the experiences that these innocents never had a chance
to do, their lives cut short by the ignorance and cruelty of the times and
their circumstance. Cummings cited many first-hand narratives from the children
themselves that caused fractures to permanently form along the surface of my
soul. I am changed. I see now more clearly than ever, the dots across the
timeline of history that led to our current situation of racism and the effect
that it has across an entire community and nation.
We have braved many hours of treacherous, rain-drenched
roads to arrive here in New Orleans where we hope to provide aid to several
organizations across the city.
Rebuilding takes more than brick and mortar; unfailing support in the
fabric and culture of a people is the only way to truly rebuild a community. I
am so grateful to have the opportunity to leave my handprint on the city and
our message in the hearts of many. Our goal is to aid wherever needed and try
and spread the concept of a full immersion volunteer trip. The plantation today
gave me a new perspective and insight into how deeply rooted social histories
are within a culture and how it influences the current world. In order to right
the wrongs, acknowledgement and sensitivity are key to moving forward and
creating a more unified and cohesive world. The Whitney Plantation is a way of
showing people both and gives them the tools necessary to leave changed and
more aware. Cummings told us as we parted, “I’m making the cannon balls, you
bring the cannons” and I feel that statement says it all. Once we obtain the knowledge and
understanding, we can start blasting through the walls built by centuries of
prejudice and become unified as humans, not distinguished by race or lumped
into a class based on our roots. The ghosts of Whitney Plantation whisper in
agreement through the rustling leaves of the ancient Oak and the barren
stillness that envelopes the mournful Field of Angels.
-Sydney Lent
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