Woodland Plantation
Revolution on the River
Woodland Plantation, Kid Ory, and the 1811 Uprising
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The Descendants Project’s Co-Founders, Jo and Joy Banner, were raised in Wallace, Louisiana—a historic Freetown established by formerly enslaved people and surrounded by plantations where their ancestors were once enslaved. This community reflects a rich cultural heritage shaped by African, German, French, and Indigenous influences. Inspired by their deep connection to Wallace, the Banner sisters founded The Descendants Project to celebrate and preserve their community’s diverse history while advocating for the health, well-being, and environmental justice of its descendants.
The stretch of the River Road between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, often referred to as "Cancer Alley," is home to some of the highest cancer risks in the nation, with residents facing health dangers exceeding those of 95% of the U.S. population. The area’s alarming health consequences are closely tied to the proliferation of petrochemical and heavy industrial facilities, commonly known as “plants,” which dominate the landscape and environment.
Attracted by lax pollution laws, proximity to the Mississippi river, and thousands of acres of cleared, “ready to develop” land, industries located on former plantations. These grounds are still surrounded by Black descendant communities, therefore linking the plantation system to legacy pollution and environmental racism that Black communities face today.
In 2021, the Wallace community was threatened by the development of a dangerous grain export facility and depot that would engulf the small neighborhoods in more than 100 tons of pollution, traffic, noise, rodents, dust and explosive grain dust. The Wallace community was on the cusp of losing their homes, land, and ancestral roots. The development threatened Whitney Plantation, a slavery museum and former plantation located in Wallace. The Descendants Project and community members led the fight to stop Greenfield, LA. Greenfield attempted to offset the harm to the black descendant community and Wallace by “partnering” with the Executive Director of Woodland Plantation to re-open the plantation museum that had closed due to low visitation.
The Descendants Project immediately realized that Woodland’s importance as a place of Black resistance and justice was in danger of being co-opted and weaponized against Black communities. The Descendants Project then decided to acquire Woodland Plantation. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities in Place Grant is supporting the two-year period for the re-interpretation of Woodland Plantation as a museum and cultural center for the community and visitors.
The Descendants Project recognizes that although sites of enslavement are difficult, descendant communities are linked to their ancestors who were once enslaved there. Descendants deserve the right to visit spaces with utmost respect to their trauma, reverence, and continued resistance against racial, social and environmental injustice. Likewise, plantation spaces owe descendants a place to learn about the heritage, culture, and contributions.