Bearing Witness: The Praise House

This year, millions of tourists will visit former plantations all across the United States. Many of these sites present romanticized stories of their pasts, and in fact further the romantic retelling of a brutal history by advertising weddings and venue space to the public. Descendants of those enslaved at these plantations often bear the weight of historical trauma while seeing the economic and historical narratives of these spaces controlled by private owners or institutions that prioritize romanticized versions of the past over truth, justice, and repair.

Using by artist Tony Bingham as our vehicle for discussion, join HRI as we look at plantation tourism, artistic intervention, and the way that descendants are challenging the narrative of this industry. The panel will explore how the plantation landscape is remembered, interpreted, commodified, and contested in the United States today.

Dinner will be provided. This is part of HRI's Small Places, Close to Home series.

Speakers:

Tony Bingham, interdisciplinary artist

Ebony Howard (L'07), Executive Director at the Wallace Center and former Deputy Director for The Gault Center

Moderated by Diann Rust-Tierney, HRI Distinguished Fellow, former Executive Director of the Racial Justice Institute at GU and former Executive Director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

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Host or Publisher Human Rights Institute at Georgetown Law