Come hear Dr. Ibrahima Seck, Director of Research at the Whitney Plantation Museum, talk about the first plantation museum dedicated to telling the history of slavery through the narratives of slaves. In 2014, the Whitney Plantation opened its doors to the public for the first time in its 262 year history as the only plantation museum in Louisiana with a focus on slavery. Through museum exhibits, memorial artwork, restored buildings and hundreds of first-person slave narratives, visitors to Whitney gain a unique perspective on the lives of Louisiana's enslaved people. What are the challenges of building such a museum ? Why has it taken so long? What is the connection to reparations? How has the public responded? How has this changed other plantation tours? Individual faculty, staff, students and members of the public invited (no classes please!) RSVP to Ben Gardner at gardnerb@uw.edu Dr. Ibrahima Seck is Director of Research for the Whitney Plantation Slavery Museum (www.whitneyplantation.com). He is the author of a book on this historic site entitled “Bouki fait Gombo: A History of the Slave Community of Habitation Haydel (Whitney Plantation) Louisiana, 1750-1860 (2014). He is also a member of the History department of University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar (UCAD), Senegal. His research focuses on the historical and cultural links between West Africa and Louisiana. |