Segment from The Long Shadow of the Plantation

Additional Resources

Used by BackStory:

Arnold Modlin Jr, Stephen P. Hanna, Perry L. Carter, Amy E. Potter, Candace Forbes Bright, and Derek H. Alderman, “Can Plantation Museums Do Full Justice to the Story of the Enslaved? A Discussion of Problems, Possibilities, and the Place of Memory”

Amy E. Potter, “‘She goes into character as the lady of the house’: tour guides, performance, and the Southern plantation”

“They Took 6,000 Acres From Us And God Gave Us A Plantation”

For 50 years, Shirley Sherrod has worked to create a sustainable community for African-American farmers in southwest Georgia. At the center of her work is New Communities, an organization that has repurposed 1,600 acres of a former plantation to benefit African-American farmers in the area. Nathan talks with Sherrod about the land and how its history shapes the New Communities’ work.

Music:

Refraction by Podington Bear

Memory Wind by Podington Bear

00:10:31

Searching For Justice In Tourism

Approximately 375 plantation museums exist in the U.S., and each chooses to represent the history of the space in its own way. An interdisciplinary team of researchers known as Tourism RESET studied how plantation museums present and discuss the history of slavery to visitors. Ed talks with Amy Potter, geographer and RESET team member, about the different ways slavery is incorporated into plantation museums today.

Music:

Denouement by Podington Bear

00:11:08

Putting Slavery’s History Front And Center

There are 13 plantation museums along River Road in Louisiana, but only one is devoted entirely to the history of slavery: Whitney Plantation. Producer Charlie Shelton-Ormond travels to Whitney to see how the museum sets itself apart from other plantations in the region.

Music:

Little Dipper by Podington Bear

Respiration by Podington Bear

Lucky Stars by Podington Bear

00:11:46

From Plantation To Private Venue

Across the South, plantations have been repurposed into private event venues that host celebrations like weddings and family reunions. For example, in North Carolina there are more than 15 event spaces that have “plantation” in their title. So how present is a plantation’s past during a celebratory event? Producer Charlie Shelton-Ormond went to a plantation in northeastern North Carolina to learn more.

Music:

Jetsam by Podington Bear

Driftwood by Podington Bear

Trundle by Podington Bear

Pulsars by Podington Bear

00:11:46

Additional Resources

Used by BackStory:

Amy E. Potter, “‘She goes into character as the lady of the house’: tour guides, performance, and the Southern plantation”