Felonice Griffe, Adou, and Mark Blacksmith are just a few of the names engraved into the mass memorials at the Whitney Plantation, originally known as Habitation Heidel, or the Heidel Plantation, in Wallace, LA.

The pastures of this plantation feature slave quarters built by kidnapped and enslaved African people and a “big house” that was also built by enslaved people that housed enslaved families.

Throughout the tour of this plantation, it’s a constant reminder of the strength, perseverance, and will to live of my ancestors—and their will to still care for the families they did have, although, in many cases, they were separated from their families through human trafficking (slave trading).