Whitney Plantation

05/30/2026

We are thrilled to welcome radio veteran DJ Wick!, as our official emcee for the 4th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival at Whitney Plantation on Saturday, June 13, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Register for your FREE TICKETS at https://whitneyplantation.org/juneteenth

With 38 years of radio experience and 43 years behind the turntables, DJ Wick! is deeply rooted in the Louisiana music scene. You can currently find him working at the historic WBOK 1230AM in New Orleans and broadcasting his soulful music programs on KNIO Soul 105.7 FM.

He will be keeping the energy high all day long as we honor the past, celebrate the present, and shape the future.

05/29/2026

Witness the historic meeting of the Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters and the Easter Rock Ensemble as they meet for the first time for a performance at the Whitney Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana. Joint performances allowed performers and audiences alike to appreciate the similarities and differences between the Gullah Geechee Ring Shout and the Louisiana Easter Rock, two African traditions that connect communities separated by hundreds of miles.
The Whitney will be screening this short film at our Juneteenth Festival at 10am inside the Antioch Church.

🕊️WHAT: Juneteenth Freedom Festival
🗓️WHEN: Saturday, June 13, 2026
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
📍WHERE: Whitney Plantation, 5099 Highway 18, Wallace, LA
🎟️ Tickets are FREE at the link in bio.

❗The Whitney Plantation museum is on a former indigo and sugar plantation that tells the true story of life on a 1400-acre sugar plantation from the perspective of the enslaved Africans who lived and worked there.

05/29/2026

Our 4th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival program lineup is here! Bring your families, bring your fans, and bring your chairs!!

Program Highlights include:
🔸Performances from Steven Perriloux, Tara Alexander, and the Marroons Band
🔸Panel Discussion with Mr. Michael McClanahan, Ms. Leona Tate, and Dr. Nyoki Cosey-Brown
🔸Book talk and cooking sampler with Toya Boudy
🔸Food trucks from Sweet Kraving Donuts and King of Wingz Xprezz
🔸Local artisans market
🔸Children’s activities
🔸And more…

Many thanks to our community sponsors, REV and Coca-Cola.

WHAT: Juneteenth Freedom Festival
WHEN: Saturday, June 13, 2026
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
WHERE: Whitney Plantation, 5099 Highway 18, Wallace, LA

🎟️ Tickets are FREE with registration: https://loom.ly/jqmvGrU

❗The Whitney Plantation museum is on a former indigo and sugar plantation that tells the true story of life on a 1400-acre sugar plantation from the perspective of the enslaved Africans who lived and worked there.

05/28/2026

🎥 From Ring Shout to Easter Rock - A Film Screening

Witness the historic meeting of the Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters and the Easter Rock Ensemble as they meet for the first time for a performance at the Whitney Plantation in Edgard, Louisiana. Joint performances allowed performers and audiences alike to appreciate the similarities and differences between the Gullah Geechee Ring Shout and the Louisiana Easter Rock, two African traditions that connect communities separated by hundreds of miles.

The Whitney will be screening this short film at our Juneteenth Festival at 10am inside the Antioch Church.

🕊️WHAT: Juneteenth Freedom Festival
🗓️WHEN: Saturday, June 13, 2026
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
📍WHERE: Whitney Plantation, 5099 Highway 18, Wallace, LA

🎟️ Tickets are FREE with registration: https://loom.ly/jqmvGrU

❗The Whitney Plantation museum is on a former indigo and sugar plantation that tells the true story of life on a 1400-acre sugar plantation from the perspective of the enslaved Africans who lived and worked there.

05/28/2026

Vendor applications are now closed for the 2026 Juneteenth Freedom Festival.

If you've already applied, we will reach out to you soon. If you weren't able to apply this year, please follow us on social media to stay up to date on 2027 opportunities.

We hope to see you at this year's festival! Register now for your free tickets: https://loom.ly/jqmvGrU

Join us for the 4th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival at Whitney Plantation on Saturday, June 13, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is FREE with registration to this special event that honors the history and culture of Black communities while celebrating freedom through education and comm...

05/27/2026

We’re less than 3 weeks away from our 4th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival!

On June 13, experience history, storytelling, and community at the Whitney Plantation museum. We’ll have local performers and vendors with activities dedicated to community, culture, and remembrance. Bring your fan, bring your chair, bring your friends and family. ➡️ Swipe to learn more.

🕊️WHAT: Juneteenth Freedom Festival
🗓️WHEN: Saturday, June 13, 2026
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
📍WHERE: Whitney Plantation, 5099 Highway 18, Wallace, LA

🎟️ Tickets are FREE with registration: https://loom.ly/jqmvGrU

❗The Whitney Plantation museum is on a former indigo and sugar plantation that tells the true story of life on a 1400-acre sugar plantation from the perspective of the enslaved Africans who lived and worked there.

05/27/2026

Pope Leo XIV just apologized for the Catholic Church's role in slavery.

In his first papal encyclical, "Magnifica humanitas," the pope acknowledged that the Church historically legitimized the subjugation of human beings. He called this legacy a wound in Christian memory.

This admission is an imperative milestone that is long overdue. To appreciate the weight of this apology, it is important to understand how institutional faith was weaponized against enslaved people.

The institutional justification traces back to the 15th century:

- In 1452, Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull "Dum Diversas."

- This decree explicitly authorized monarchs to consign non-Christians to perpetual slavery.

- Edicts like this provided a moral framework that facilitated the transatlantic slave trade from West Africa.

- Church authorities historically responded to rulers by regulating and legitimizing forms of subjugation.

- During the Middle Ages, ecclesiastical institutions even held their own enslaved laborers.

This institutional involvement created a vast paper trail of human suffering. At Whitney Plantation, we look closely at these records:

- Church baptism and burial logs remain the primary sources used to document enslaved genealogies today.

- In St. John the Baptist Parish alone, 2,200 enslaved children died between 1823 and 1863.

- These numbers represent only the official deaths recorded by Catholic Church authorities.

True healing cannot happen without accountability. Leadership must voice the truth to repair institutional harms. We cannot build a just future while hiding the past.

As our Director of Research, Dr. Ibrahima Seck, always reminds us: "Hidden history hurts." Confronting this reality is essential for justice. True reckoning requires bringing these truths into the light.

05/23/2026

🥁 The Maroons Band is coming to the Juneteenth Freedom Festival! Are you?

The Maroons are a multi-disciplined and multi-generational band from New Orleans bringing Afro-Caribbean, Gogo, New Orleans, Folk and World music on one stage.

With multi-genre artist Marcus Akinlana on drums and vocals, the great vocalist and bead artist Sula Spirit on shekere, and the gifted drummer and multi-instrumentalist Xavier Molina, the Maroons mix their original music with African chants and unique heavy percussion driven sound.

The Maroons Band is dedicated to the legacy of Africa and the great Cimarrones (Maroons), who sacrificed and dedicated their lives for our freedom and liberation.

Catch the Maroons and the rest of our performers and the 4th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival – a free, community-centered event honoring Black history, culture, and creativity.

🕊️WHAT: 4th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival
🗓️WHEN: Saturday, June 13, 2026
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
📍WHERE: Whitney Plantation, 5099 Highway 18, Wallace, LA

🎟️Tickets are FREE with registration: https://loom.ly/jqmvGrU

❗The Whitney Plantation museum is on a former indigo and sugar plantation that tells the true story of life on a 1400-acre sugar plantation from the perspective of the enslaved Africans who lived and worked there.

Join us for the 4th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival at Whitney Plantation on Saturday, June 13, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is FREE with registration to this special event that honors the history and culture of Black communities while celebrating freedom through education and comm...

05/19/2026

At Whitney Plantation, our historical interpreters do more than just share facts. They carry the heavy, vital, and profound responsibility of educating our visitors about the history of slavery. The emotional weight of this work is immense, but the connections formed within our gates often ripple out into the world in beautiful, unexpected ways.

Here, one of our dedicated guides shared a deeply moving experience that reminds us all exactly why we do this work.

"A few years ago I gave a tour to an amazing group individuals and yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting up with them again. One of my guests even presented me with this beautiful work of art she commissioned of my from our first introduction-almost two years ago! It’s moments like this that reminds me just how impactful the work I do here at Whitney Plantation is. I’ll treasure this for the rest of my days."

We are grateful to Najia and all of our guides who pour their hearts into this mission. And we appreciate our visitors who carry these truths with them long after they leave.