Hundreds March In Reenactment Of A Historic, But Long Forgotten Slave Rebellion

[demmiblue]

More than 200 years ago, in January of 1811, a group of enslaved people on a plantation on the outskirts of New Orleans rose up, armed themselves and began a long march toward the city. Hundreds would join them along the way. Their goal: to free every slave they found and then seize the Crescent City.

The rebellion came to be known as the German Coast Uprising and it's believed to be the largest slave rebellion in United States history. This weekend, hundreds of African Americans gathered in the streets of Louisiana to recreate the event, long an overlooked chapter in the story of America.

On Friday, under the direction of the New York artist Dread Scott, some 500 volunteers dressed in period-era garb to begin a two-day, 26-mile march upriver to New Orleans.

With some on horseback and others on foot, participants beat drums, chanted "Freedom or Death!" and "We're going to end slavery!," as they trekked the same route that hundreds of enslaved people once journeyed.

The original German Coast Uprising didn't succeed. Roughly one-fifth of those who revolted were killed. Some were put on trial first and executed — their heads then put on display to intimidate others from pursuing future uprisings.

But this weekend, amid a startlingly transformed landscape where suburbs and strip malls have replaced plantations, Dread Scott wanted to re-imagine a different outcome through a reenactment that pays tribute to the men and women who protested their enslavement. He says they should be viewed as unsung heroes.



https://www.npr.org/2019/11/09/777810796/hundreds-march-in-reenactment-of-a-historic-but-long-forgotten-slave-rebellion

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[demmiblue]

1. Evelyn Jackson brought her daughter, to teach her history she herself wasn't taught.

Link to tweet

[Demovictory9]

2. kick

[2naSalit]

3. K&R

[pandr32]

4. Awesome!

[PatrickforO]

5. I did not know this! When I read the post and looked at the photos, I was amazed that

I had never heard of this rebellion. Ever.

And I like to think that I'm decently well-read in history.

Funny how stuff like this never shows up in our textbooks and other histories.

[Wounded Bear]

6. K & R...for visibility...

The whitewashing of American history is profoundly sad.

Kudos to these people for commemorating this event.

[Roy Rolling]

10. Since the 1990s

It’s been an annual event here in Louisiana since the 1990s. Maybe someday the rest of the country will catch up. 😂😂

And just to be historically accurate, they marched downriver to New Orleans from plantations from near LaPlace.

[mountain grammy]

7. K&R

[malaise]

8. K & R

for truth

[Scarsdale]

9. Good for them.

Never let this be forgotten. The slaves were ripped from their homes and families, sold like animals, and worked from dusk to dawn. So happy that they finally said "Enough" and took action. Too bad this part of history ever took place. Shameless.

[demmiblue]

11. The Guardian video: