Tilling The Soil

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Whitney Plantation is a 200 acre former sugar plantation turned historic site dedicated to telling the history of slavery in the United States from the perspective of the enslaved Africans, African-Americans, and Creoles of Color who built America's wealth. However, it takes much more to share and interpret this history than just opening the door. Join hosts Dr. Joy Banner, Director of Marketing and Communications, and Amber Mitchell, Director of Education, as they discuss the unique intersection of history, preservation, race, and storytelling that create a one-of-a-kind visitor experience. - - - This project is funded by a 2021 Rebirth grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. Funding for 2021 Rebirth grants has been administered by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH) and provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the NEH Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) initiative. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Whitney Plantation


    • Nov 2, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 47m AVG DURATION
    • 22 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Tilling The Soil

    In Your Own Backyard

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2023 22:08


    In this season finale, Erin and Amber reflect on the season and discuss the triumphs and difficulties of producing a podcast. They also give an update on the Wallace grain elevator court case and Erin say her final goodbyes to Tilling the Soil.Want more information about Whitney Plantation? Check out our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter.

    River of Black Gold with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2023 35:47


    Erin, Noura and Dy'Monn complete their Down by the River tour. They conclude with their reflections on the impact that the broader issues of structural violence and environmental racism has on community members of the River Parishes.Graphic description warning.Want more information about Whitney Plantation? Check out our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter.

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    River of Black Gold with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2023 36:12


    Erin and fellow Whitney Plantation staffers, Noura and Dy'Monn, leave the office to go on the Louisiana Bucket Brigade's Down by the River environmental justice tour. Led by Bike Ride Manager, Sheila Tahir, and The Descendants Project co-founder and community representative, Jo Banner, the tour starts in Dimond, LA, and visits several sites that embody the impact of petrochemical plants in the region. Want more information about Whitney Plantation? Check out our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter.

    The Fight Continues with Dr. Joy Banner

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2023 47:37


    Erin and Amber are joined by Dr. Joy Banner who is co-founder of The Descendants Project with her twin sister, Jo Banner. In their conversation, Dr. Banner and Erin talk about The Descendants Project's current initiatives and review their ongoing fight against the construction of a grain elevator in Wallace, LA. Dr. Banner also discusses her childhood memories and familial knowledge that shaped her perception of the environment.Check out episode 7 of season one to learn more about The Descendants Project.Want more information about Whitney Plantation? Check out our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter.

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    From Africa to Africatown with Joycelyn M. Davis

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2023 43:36


    Erin and Amber are joined by Joycelyn M. Davis, the Community Engagement Officer for Africatown C.H.E.S.S.. In this interview, Davis discusses the re-discovery and legacy of the Clotilda, the last documented ship known to transport enslaved Africans to the United States. Davis also shares the various initiatives that she and other descendants of the Clotilda are undertaking to preserve the history and fight for environmental justice in Africatown, AL.Want more information about Whitney Plantation? Check out our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter.

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    Ancestors at the Table with Chef Toya Boudy

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2023 43:16


    Erin and Amber are joined by New Orleans native and chef, Toya Boudy. In their conversation, Chef Boudy discusses her self-reflexive cookbook, Cooking for the Culture, and how food can be the nexus for healing, healthfulness and identity. Boudy also explores the importance food plays for representation in media.Want more information about Whitney Plantation? Check out our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter.

    Political Consumption with Dr. Kyla Wazana Tompkins

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2023 46:21


    Erin and Amber are joined by author of Racial Indigestion and professor of English and Gender and Women's Studies, Dr. Kyla Wazana Tompkins. In their discussion, they explore the politics of eating, how eating culture has contributed to the construction of race in the United States and the environmental implication of slavery and agribusiness.Explicit language warning.Want more information about Whitney Plantation? Check out our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter.

    Maroon Geographies with Dr. Brent Morris

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2023 51:09


    Erin and Amber are joined by Dr. J. Brent Morris to discuss his newest book, Dismal Freedom, and his research on the various maroons communities in North Carolina and Virginia's Great Dismal Swamps. Dr. Morris also shares the difficulties associated with studying maroons in the United States and illuminates what maroons can tell contemporary people about the definition of freedom.Want more information about Whitney Plantation? Check out our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter.

    On Joy and Justice

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2023 13:05


    Amber Mitchell introduces her new co-host, Erin Hardnett, and they discuss the theme of the upcoming season of Tilling the Soil: the environment and African-descended people. In this introductory conversation, they reflect on the way that the environment acts as a site of memory, joy, and conflict in African American history. They also share moments in their lives that have shaped the way they conceive of race and the environment in the United States.Want more information about Whitney Plantation? Check out our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter.

    Slavery, Africa, and History

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2022 67:46


    In this season wrap-up, Amber and Dr. Joy speak with Whitney Plantation's Director of Research Dr. Ibrahima Seck about the site's connections to West and Central Africa, how the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade is remembered on the continent, his journey as an African historian of slavery, and memorial work that is still needed at Whitney Plantation. Visit The https://www.ibiblio.org/laslave/ (Louisiana Slavery Database) Purchase Dr. Seck's book on the history of Whitney Plantation, https://whitney-plantation-638281.shoplightspeed.com/bouki-fait-gombo.html (Bouki Fait Gombo). Purchase Gwendolyn Midlo Hall's book, https://whitney-plantation-638281.shoplightspeed.com/africans-in-colonial-louisiana.html (Africans in Colonial Louisiana). Check out the work of New Orleans artist B. Mike and https://studiobenola.com/ (Studio Be). - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us to continue to create programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation). We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

    Leadership Matters, Part Two

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2022 52:52


    In this second half of a two-part episode, Dr. Joy and Amber are joined by Whitney Plantation's Executive Director Ashley Rogers and Director of Operations and Visitor Experience Yvonne Holden to talk about the whys and hows of the work of Whitney Plantation and the challenges that come along with being intentional at a former plantation site. - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us to continue to create programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation). We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

    Leadership Matters, Part One

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2022 42:58


    In this two-part episode, Dr. Joy and Amber are joined by Whitney Plantation's Executive Director Ashley Rogers and Director of Operations and Visitor Experience Yvonne Holden to talk about the whys and hows of the work of Whitney Plantation and the challenges that come along with being intentional at a former plantation site. Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us to continue to create programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation).

    Slavery Myths Busted

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2022 87:10


    Visitors come to https://whitneyplantation.org (Whitney Plantation) with a lot of different ideas about what slavery was and wasn't. Join Nicole Moore, historian and Director of Education at the https://www.civilandhumanrights.org/ (Center for Civil and Human Rights) as we walk through some of the myths about the Peculiar Institution, where they come from, and why they're so hard for all of us to shake. Visit Nicole's work at http://www.interpretingslavelife.com/who-am-i/ (Interpreting Slave Life). Learn more about the work of the https://slavedwellingproject.org/ (Slave Dwelling Project). Read and Listen to the https://www.loc.gov/collections/slave-narratives-from-the-federal-writers-project-1936-to-1938/about-this-collection/ (WPA Slave Narratives from the Library of Congress). - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us continue creating programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation). We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

    Engaging Descendant Communities

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2022 49:13


    Co-founders Jo and Joy Banner of https://www.thedescendantsproject.com/home (The Descendants Project) discuss the legacies of slavery that still impact the descendant community that Whitney Plantation is part of, Wallace. The conversation includes environmental racism and lack of inclusion in the tourism industry, amongst many other connected issues. Read more about The Descendants Project and Whitney Plantation's fight against the https://www.thedescendantsproject.com/stop-wallace-grain-elevator (Wallace Grain Elevator). Follow the Descendants Project on https://www.facebook.com/descendantsproject/ (Facebook), on Twitter as https://mobile.twitter.com/project_descend (@project_descend), and Instagram as https://www.instagram.com/thedescendantsproject/?hl=en (@thedescendantsproject). Sign the https://www.change.org/p/stop-grain-elevator-that-would-destroy-black-communities-whitney-plantation?fbclid=IwAR3sK4bJvBYTiTb1aaKKsNFzee8Bgdun5eHz1mb1Kq-rfbMxDlIOxjCBrk8 (petition to protect Whitney Plantation and Wallace)! Read about the descendants and leadership battle at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/22/us/montpelier-estate-board-enslaved.html (James Madison's Montpelier.) - - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us to continue to create programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation). We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

    Labor on the Plantation

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2022 77:25


    This week, Amber and Dr. Joy are joined by Elon Cook Lee of the https://savingplaces.org/ (National Trust for Historic Preservation), to talk about museum labor, race, and equity: how can a museum hold good labor practices while being a former site of subjugation? On https://savingplaces.org/reconsidering-celebrations?_ga=2.263006156.1580257529.1634590760-1250274189.1634245491&_gl=1*1s2ujjk*_ga*MTI1MDI3NDE4OS4xNjM0MjQ1NDkx*_ga_Z0Y4H4RFKN*MTYzNDU5MDc2MC40LjAuMTYzNDU5MDc2MC42MA..#.YXBcaiT3YW (Plantation Weddings). Follow Elon on https://twitter.com/their_child (Twitter). - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us continue creating programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation). We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

    Telling Our Own Stories

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2022 42:12


    Voices of Whitney Plantation's interpretive staff and Gaynell Brady of Our Mammy's, discuss the importance of education and interpretation onsite and generally when discussing the history of enslaved people and their descendants. You can keep up with Gaynell and her work at Our Mammy's on all social media platforms. Whitney's Education Team has gather resources for learners and teachers of all ages! You can view them on our website. - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us continue creating programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation). We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

    From Slave Cabin to Vacation Rental?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2022 63:40


    On this special episode, Amber and Joy chat with Whitney Plantation's Yvonne Holden and New Orleans-based attorney and TicTok content creator Wynton Yates about his viral video featuring slave cabins turned Airbnb. Here's Wynton's https://www.tiktok.com/@lawyerwynton/video/7125545174083652910?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7127352188779202090 (viral TikTok video) , a https://www.mic.com/life/airbnb-slave-cabins-plantations (Mic article) on the issue, and https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/08/02/airbnb-slave-cabin-mississippi-tiktok/ (Airbnb's response via the Washington Post). Be sure to follow @lawyerwynton on TikTok and other platforms! Read more about The Descendants Project and Whitney Plantation's fight against the https://www.thedescendantsproject.com/stop-wallace-grain-elevator (Wallace Grain Elevator). Follow the Descendants Project on https://www.facebook.com/descendantsproject/ (Facebook), on Twitter as https://mobile.twitter.com/project_descend (@project_descend), and Instagram as https://www.instagram.com/thedescendantsproject/?hl=en (@thedescendantsproject). Sign the https://www.change.org/p/stop-grain-elevator-that-would-destroy-black-communities-whitney-plantation?fbclid=IwAR3sK4bJvBYTiTb1aaKKsNFzee8Bgdun5eHz1mb1Kq-rfbMxDlIOxjCBrk8 (petition to protect Whitney Plantation and Wallace)! - - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us to continue to create programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation). We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

    Black In Historic Preservation

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2022 59:58


    Historic Preservationist Nakita Reed talks about preserving historic sites, race, and the intersections of preservation, climate change, and environmental racism. Take a listen to Nakita's podcast, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tangible-remnants/id1530227762 (Tangible Remnants)! Keep up with Nakita on her https://www.nakitareed.com/ (website). Check out this statement from the National Trust for Historic Preservation https://savingplaces.org/press-center/media-resources/statement-section-106-greenfield-terminal-wallace-la#.YsSVohPMKjA (in defense of the descendant community of Wallace, LA and Whitney Plantation). - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us continue creating programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation). We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

    Black Museums

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2022 62:34


    https://ashleybouknight.com/ (Dr. Ashley Bouknight-Claybrooks), historian and Senior Manager of Professional Development at the https://aaslh.org/ (American Association for State and Local History), speaks on the history of Black museums and museology, and how Whitney Plantation helps to reshape our understanding of museums dedicated to Black history. - You can follow Dr. Bouknight-Claybrooks on https://twitter.com/nicnat_artifakz (Twitter). Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

    Plantation Tourism

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2022 58:09


    Hosts Amber and Dr. Joy are joined by https://karencoxhistorian.com/ (Dr. Karen Cox), historian and author of https://uncpress.org/book/9781469609867/dreaming-of-dixie/ (Dreaming of Dixie: How the South was Created in American Popular Culture) and https://uncpress.org/book/9781469662671/no-common-ground/ (No Common Ground: Confederate Monuments and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice) on the history of plantation tourism— the whys of how we as a community understand the history, projections, myths, around plantations, slavery, and what we see when we visit them today. - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our website for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us continue creating programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation). We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

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    Whitney Plantation

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2022 39:14


    Welcome to Tilling The Soil, a podcast about the challenges and successes of interpreting, teaching, and learning the history of slavery in the United States through the lens of the staff at Whitney Plantation, a slavery museum on the site of a former sugar plantation in Louisiana. Order https://whitney-plantation-638281.shoplightspeed.com/bouki-fait-gombo.html (Bouki Fait Gombo: A History of the Slave Community of Habitation Haydel (Whitney Plantation)) through our store. - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us continue creating programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation). We need feedback! Please take https://form.jotform.com/221926261329052 (this survey) to help us better know our listeners.

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    Tilling the Soil: A Whitney Plantation Podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2022 3:04


    https://whitneyplantation.org (Whitney Plantation) is a 200 acre former sugar plantation turned historic site dedicated to telling the history of slavery in the United States from the perspective of the enslaved Africans, African-Americans, and Creoles of Color who built America's wealth. However, it takes much more to share and interpret this history than just opening the door. Join hosts Dr. Joy Banner, Director of Marketing and Communications, and Amber Mitchell, Director of Education, as they discuss the unique intersection of history, preservation, race, and storytelling that create a one-of-a-kind visitor experience. Subscribe to the feed anywhere you find podcasts to get notifications for each weekly episode drop. - Looking to visit Whitney Plantation? Check out our https://my.captivate.fm/www.whitneyplantation.org (website) for information on tours, programs, and events. Remember to follow us on all social media platforms! Help us continue creating programming that informs through https://www.whitneyplantation.org/donate/ (a donation to Whitney Plantation).

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