Summary

In the prologue, Smith describes the sky “above the Mississippi River” (3). He is surrounded by “quintessential New Orleans iconography” (3). In 1808, after “the transatlantic slave trade was outlawed,” a million people were brought “down the Mississippi River and sold in New Orleans” (3). He considers this history while standing with Leon A. Waters, mentor to “the organization Take ‘Em Down NOLA” (4). The organization advocates for “the removal of ALL symbols of white supremacy in New Orleans” (4).

Although Smith grew up in New Orleans, he has only recently begun to understand its history of slavery and oppression. He became interested in “how slavery is remembered and reckoned with” after the city removed its statue of Robert E. Lee in 2017 (6). Throughout his book, Smith will trace his travels to eight locations to understand “the history of American slavery” (7).

In “Monticello Plantation,” when Smith arrived at...