Reflecting on the Louisiana Field Trip
Below are reflections from two AmStuds in Adam Rothman’s AMST 272: Facing Georgetown’s History course, Amy Guay (’19) and Meghan DeCourcey (’19). After traveling to Louisiana during spring break, the two students posted responses with their lingering thoughts to the private class blog, which are reproduced below.
(photo by Meghan DeCourcey)
These Are Times: Another Louisiana Trip Reflection
Posted on March 12, 2018 by Amy Guay (’19)
On our last day in Louisiana, we met with Phoebe Ferguson, a descendant of John Howard Ferguson (Plessy v. Ferguson’s presiding judge.) Phoebe and Keith Plessy, a descendant of Homer Adolph Plessy, co-founded the Plessy and Ferguson Foundation, an organisation dedicated to teaching the history of the case via historic markers and education initiatives. We also spoke with Karran Harper Royal, whose family is descended from the GU272. Karran, along with Phoebe, emphasised the ways in which New Orleans is changing (for the worse, in their opinion) due to gentrification and a highly flawed education experiment implemented after Hurricane Katrina.
In the green space next to the plaque marking the site of Plessy’s arrest, artist Ayo Scott is in the process of painting a mural to honour Plessy and the civil rights movement. I really enjoyed this mural: it’s extremely dynamic, full of bold geometry, color, and motifs. There is the classic Norman Rockwell silhouette of Ruby Bridges, tripled to symbolise the other unremembered young people charged with integrating schools. There is the depiction of a joyous local store promoter, draped in the garb of the Statue of Liberty, twirling to the forefront. A figure reminiscent of Ieshia Evans lives on the wall’s edge, surrounded by other depictions of activists throughout history. Lady Justice is painted as a black girl.
At some point, Ayo recited a brief poem that serves as the basis for the mural’s title and accompanying hashtag (#TheseAreTimes). I can’t find the poem online so I’m not sure who to attribute it to. As a result of this, there are probably word/lineation mistakes in this. But here it is, to the best of my memory.
The white man says, “These are dark times.”
The black man says, “These are times.”
The woman says, “Are they?”
Reflection on the Louisiana Trip
Posted on March 11, 2018 by Meghan DeCourcey
I had a wonderful experience on the trip to Louisiana last week and I wanted to share a few of my thoughts. Being in Maringouin and talking and listening to the some of the GU272 descendants brought the issues that we have discussed in class to life and it made me realize that reparations does not just have one definition; it means different things to different people. Saturday was the day that we visited Rosedale and Maringouin, where many of the GU272 descendants still live today. Our guides for the day were Jessica “Millie” Tilson and her aunt Bernadine. We did a lot that day and had many notable moments, but what really struck me was when Bernadine unexpectedly suggested that we visit the house of a 92-year-old woman known as Big Momma who is a GU272 descendant. When we arrived at her house, a small woman with a cane greeted us with a warm smile. We stayed at Big Momma’s house for a while and we also met her daughter Linda, who is in her sixties. The conservation soon turned to Georgetown and what it was doing for the descendants. Linda kept asking what Georgetown was going to do for her and she mentioned that she would like to have the opportunity to finish her degree at Southern University. After some back-and-forth on the meaning of reparations, Bernadine made a moving speech on the importance of education and commerce. Rosedale and Maringouin only recently built a fire department and a police station. There is no nearby grocery store and the public schools in Maringouin are not great. Millie also added that her 17-year-old daughter probably could not get into Georgetown, but her 4-year-old might have a chance if the public school system is improved. Bernadine finished her speech by reemphasizing that investment in education and commerce are key, but the only way a solution can be reached is if there is communication between Georgetown and the descendants. Bernadine’s speech and visiting with Big Momma really affected me because I also find investment in commerce and education essential. However, it also brings up the question of the older generation. Big Momma is 92 and she has lived most of her life, so what would reparations for her look like? Additionally, there is an adult population in Maringouin that is not well educated and there are probably other people like Linda who would like the opportunity to finish their degrees at schools of their choosing. These are complicated issues, but the only way that reparations can be reached is if there is continued communication between the descendants, Georgetown, and the Jesuits. I also think there needs to be continued interest from us, the younger generation, because it is in our hands to keep the conversation alive on campus. The trip really gave me a lot to think about and I am looking forward to discussing the rest of it in more depth this week in class.
(photos by Meghan DeCourcey)
