📅 Whitney Plantation opened as the first plantation museum in the U.S. exclusively dedicated to the history and legacy of slavery, challenging the romanticized narratives often associated with plantation tourism starting in the 1970s. Opening during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, we became a space for visitors seeking to understand the deep historical roots of our nation’s ongoing reckoning with racial justice and police brutality. In our first year, we welcomed 34,000 visitors—fa

I was shocked to see actual slave quarters still mostly preserved at Kingsley Plantation near Jacksonville. It's the oldest still-standing plantation in Florida. I meet Ranger Mia who tells me about the place and its history. She shares her feelings about the slave quarters as she thinks about the lives they lived here. This is a must-see for anyone interested in understanding slavery and U.S. history that shapes our different views and debates in 2024. | John Filson