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The environmental and historic preservation nonprofit The Descendants Project is screening a documentary of the new Blue Lobster Tales Production “Vacation Plantation”  this Saturday at the Woodland Plantation in LaPlace.

The 77-minute documentary features Jo Banner, co-founder of The Descendants Project, examining the plantation tourism industry. Archeologist Lauren Cudmore also explores how plantations indulge tourists’ fantasies rather than the horrific realities of the past. 

“When plantation narratives elevate mundane objects like antique furniture over the lived experiences of the enslaved, they create a divide between descendants and the history they seek to understand,” said Jo Banner, co-founder of The Descendants Project. “Vacation Plantation’ allowed me to highlight the harmful impact these narratives can have, particularly in safeguarding Black communities from environmental injustices.”

The documentary film offers insight into modern plantation tourism, addressing contemporary owners’ concerns, state representatives’ political efforts, and descendants’ demands for change.

The event includes a panel discussion at Woodland Plantation with Jo Banner, co-founder of The Descendants Project; Dianne Honoré, a descendant of Destrehan Plantation and a tourism expert; Dr. Molly Mitchell, Director of the Midlo Center; and Dr. Natalie King-Pedroso, a scholar specializing in African-American literature.

Jo and Joy Banner, founders of the nonprofit Descendants Project, fight for historic and cultural preservation for descendants of enslaved people.