Plantation fascination

17th December 2018   ·   0 Comments

It is no secret that the stately plantation homes in the River Parishes are a major draw for area tourists. People from all over the world flock to St. James, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes to tour these estates and get a glimpse of Antebellum Louisiana.

But not everyone is happy about the celebration of the homes or the launch of a tourism campaign in late October titled “New Orleans Plantation Country,” which presents a Eurocentric view of the history of the plantations.

For many, including members of the Edgard, La.-based West Bank Civic Association, the campaign and the promotion of the plantations is a slap in the face especially during the same year that the City of New Orleans is celebrating its 300th anniversary. These plantations are every bit as offensive to people of color as Confederate battle flags and monuments to white supremacists.

They make light of the degradation, exploitation, marginalization and oppression of enslaved African men women and children and fail to tell the story of how America was built on the backs of African people.

We need to speak out about these plantations and tell our own story in our own words.

Shame on the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana for promoting the enslavement, exploitation and oppression of African men, women and children during the celebration of tricentennial.

By the way, I have some questions for y’all. Here we go:

• Do you think President Donald Trump understands that his days in the White House are numbered?

• When did America do away with the three branches of federal government and what ever happened to the system of checks and balances?

• How many schools in America do you suppose teach children that enslaved Africans built the White House and the U.S. Capitol?

• How does anyone celebrate Thanksgiving and turn around and support a border wall to keep out those seeking refuge and a better life?

• Why is there so little transparency and accountability in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s financial dealings?

• Should the late President George H.W. Bush get a pass for the “Willie Horton” strategy to invoke fear among white voters?

• How much longer will women- and minority-owned firms have to wait to gain greater access to City of New Orleans public contracts?

• Does anyone in city government know the difference between job-training programs and job-referral programs?

• Do you think the Sewerage & Water Board will have its act together before the start of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season?

• How many Black businesses do you plan to patronize this holiday season?

• When was the last time you took a tour of Black New Orleans?

• How many coats and jackets do you have that you no longer wear and could donate to those less fortunate?

• What do you think of the theory that the success of the New Orleans Saints is keeping crime down?

• How much support did Secretary of State candidate Gwen Greenup get from the Louisiana Democratic Party?

• How do the descendants of people released from England’s jails to become “settlers” in the New World fix their mouths to call anyone an illegal immigrant or a criminal?

• What makes a cop think he or she should not go to jail or suffer any consequences for going into someone else’s home or apartment and killing them because they thought it was their home?

This article originally published in the December 17, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.