Ownership

One of the major themes presented in Johnson’s My Monticello is ownership, which is explored in terms of its connection to American slavery and conditions that enable continued exploitation of Black Americans and other marginalized groups. In “My Monticello” (62), Da’Naisha and those with her arrive at Thomas Jefferson’s historic home with the intention of finding temporary shelter, which expands into an idea that they have the right to build a community on the grounds, but will treat their surroundings with respect. However, this idea is opposed by Georgie, one of the guards, who considers Da’Naisha and the others “trespassers” (81) and believes that the grounds should be maintained as they were before the white supremacist uprising that brought the group there. By presenting this idea of ownership as an abstract concept that conflicts with need and reality, Johnson shows that notions of the...