After an early breakfast at Camp Hope, our first day in New Orleans began with an hour car ride to the Whitney Plantation. Once we arrived, we were given a tour of the church, slave cabins, three memorials, and the Big House. Throughout the tour, our tour guide told us about the history of the Whitney plantation. We learned about the family that owned it and the slaves who were held in bondage there. The plantation features three memorials dedicated to the hundreds of slaves that were held at the plantation. The staff at Whitney Plantation is doing an amazing job of uncovering the history of this plantation and sharing it with people. After the tour and a lunch by the lake, we began our service. We went back out to the memorial and washed the numerous plaques listing the names of slaves who lived and died on the Whitney Plantation. The service didn’t require a lot of physical work and may not seem very important, but it was a way for us to honor those who lost their lives in bondage. This service allowed us to spend more time reading the names and stories of the Whitney slaves.
After our service we had the awesome opportunity to meet the owner of the plantation, John Cummings. He sat us down in a circle under the giant oak tree right outside the Big House and told us why he owns the plantation and about his passion for education. John bought the plantation and works so hard to restore it and tell its story because he wants to honor the people who built our country. He believes that education is the key to ending racial tensions. With some souvenirs and a final goodbye from Mr. Cummings, we departed the Whitney Plantation (with a quick pit stop at Evergreen Plantation, where part of Django Unchained was filmed).
On our way back to Camp Hope we drove around the Lower 9th Ward, the place that was hit hardest by Hurricane Katrina. It was surreal seeing the shells of once inhabited houses and blank lots where houses once stood. Even after 10 years, New Orleans is still recovering from the disaster. This was an important part of the day because it showed us what we are here to do. A lot of the world has forgotten about Katrina, but for the citizens of New Orleans, there are constant reminders of the tragedy. Our first day here in NOLA was the perfect beginning to our BearBreak. #HolaFromNOLA