While in Charleston, my husband and I had the opportunity to visit Boone Hall Plantation. It was our first visit to a plantation, so I wasn’t sure what to expect or how I would react emotionally. It took a while for me to post this because I did not anticipate such a viceral response for myself. I am hoping this is reviewed with the intent to understand, learn, and develop. My observations are coming from a place of genuine respect for honoring authenticity in history.

1. The Gullah presentation was AMAZING. I had the opportunity to speak with her afterwards and shared a very endearing embrace with her as we talked about the Geechee traditions I saw with my late grandmother as a child. I admired her ability to respond to invasive questions without being shaken. Being asked if she has dental care, or other very ignorant and inappropriate questions just reminded me of how sometimes people are still fascinated with us and it feels like we are spectacles versus human beings.

2. I couldn’t help but notice that out of over 100 people, my husband and I were the only people of color there. This was confusing and a bit overwhelming as we walked through the slave quarters and watched others talking about how nicely built they were. These one room shacks were not nice.. nor were the stories lived in them. This was only the beginning of the overwhelming feeling of gaslighting or disregard for what actually occurred on these plantations. Honestly, in defense of my ancestors, I began to feel slightly territorial as the comments and lack of sensitivity started to create a feeling of intrusion for me. If the staff were more sensitive to the history, it would not seem natural or acceptable to be so aloof when touring these artifacts of slavery.

3. The staff lacks appropriate training to discuss the history of a plantation with care and confidence. This is not the role where you mince words. Referring to slave as “artisans” who worked on the plantation instead of calling them what they were. Clearly, there is a desire to manage fragility and discomfort, but it can not be done at the expense of rewriting or disregarding history. WORDS MATTER.

4. During the wagon tour, another staff member stated that the plantation was a brick making plantation, producing over 3 million bricks per year. He then stated, “That was hard work for those guys” (referring to the slaves). The wagon tour also proceeded to discuss more about the number of weddings on the plantation annually and how many people come back for activities (eg Halloween), resident alligators, or how the staff enjoys harvesting the crops.

The plantation is beautiful. And, I would suggest a visit to a plantation to any descendants of slaves. The immediate connection you feel is indescribable.

However, these organizations need to be run with more care and cultural competence. I appreciate the offer to pick cotton for the experience, but hopefully, you understand why I politely declined. The cotton is more than a souvenir. Where is the discussion, the education?

If you do not have staff that is comfortable telling the story in its full authenticity, consider hiring more people that are representative of the entire history so more appropriate storytelling can be offered to your visitors. Your staff does not have apparent representation of the “artisans” that built it.

The TONE set by the staff encourages and allows unintentional harm for those who have a direct connection to the more painful part of the history that is excluded from the majority of the conversations at this plantation. Require respect and reverence of the space to ensure that it is not forgotten that there was suffering that happened. This is not just a fun weekend trip for some of us. The history and stories should be honored, respected, and honest.