Inside the Whitney Plantation, the First and Only American Museum About Slavery

History • August 2015 • Views: 7,318

The Whitney Plantation near Wallace, Louisiana, is the first and only museum and memorial to slavery. John Cummings, a 78-year-old white southerner, has spent 16 years and more than $8 million of his own fortune to build the project, which opened in December of last year.

More: Inside the Whitney Plantation, the First and Only American Museum About Slavery - the Atlantic

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6 comments

Origuy Aug 25, 2015 • 2:59:02pm

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati isn’t about slavery?

CuriousLurker Aug 25, 2015 • 5:54:43pm

re: #1 Origuy

Did you even watch the whole video or click on the link and read the short accompanying article? ? It doesn’t sound like it. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is about the Underground Railroad & abolition, not slavery.

CuriousLurker Aug 25, 2015 • 6:29:46pm

Lumberhead, there’s a good article on the Whitney Plantation over at NPR, and an even better (and more detailed) one over at the NY Times: Building the First Slavery Museum in America.

Thanks for posting this. I had no idea it existed, nor was I aware that it was the only one of its kind. I googled around a bit and learned that there was one in Milwaukee called America’s Black Holocaust Museum, but it closed in 2008 due to financial problems. There’s also a non-profit in Virginia called the United States National Slavery Museum tat has been fundraising since 2001 to establish a national museum on slavery, but it also encountered financial difficulties and the project is basically dead.

I find it sad & strange that we have no other museum dedicated solely to an institution that has had (and continues to have) such a profound effect on our history, economy, politics and culture. I can only deduce that it must be something we still don’t want to confront in any meaningful way. I mean, we spend billions/trillions on other things—wars, entertainment, travel, etc.—but we (collectively, as a nation) can’t be bothered to spend what’s needed for such a museum? Being in denial because we’re uncomfortable with the subject isn’t going to make it go away.

Lumberhead Aug 25, 2015 • 8:45:54pm

re: #3 CuriousLurker

Thanks for the article links. I’ll definitely check them out.

Origuy Aug 26, 2015 • 8:42:04am

re: #2 CuriousLurker

No, I didn’t read the article or watch the video. I just didn’t see the distinction. The Atlantic article doesn’t make that clear. The NYT article does a better job; The Whitney Plantation aims to show how slavery was an essential element in the development of the USA, while others show only aspects. Point taken.