NEW ORLEANS--Leon Waters was a boy when he first heard stories from his 91-year old cousin, Clara “Kizzie” Duncan, about a slave revolt in southeast Louisiana. Duncan, the daughter of slaves, helped the young Waters understand the importance of oral history and passing it on.
Leon Waters, chairman of the Louisiana Museum of African American History, speaks on the 1811 slave revolt recently at Amour de Cafe in Rivertown. The uprising, which ended in Kenner, Louisiana, is considered one of the United States' largest pre-Civil War slave rebellions.
The museum sponsored the lecture as part of its commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the revolt. The museum hopes to increase knowledge of African-American history and is hosting several events across the area. Among them, Waters said, are an 1811 slave revolt bus tour and a French Quarter tour.
“Knowing true history gives strength and guidance to help you with challenges and struggles ahead,” Waters said.
A descendant of Louisiana slaves, Waters spoke of the revolt, which involved at least 500 slaves and began on Woodland Plantation in LaPlace on Jan. 8, 1811. Almost 50 African nationalities joined the effort, marching side by side.
In their quest for freedom, the slaves hoped to establish a black republic in New Orleans. The slaves traveled down the Mississippi River to Kenner, where they were stopped by U.S. troops and plantation owners. The result was brutal: More than 40 marchers were slaughtered, their heads cut off and placed on poles along the river.
Edward Johnson Jr. of River Ridge, Louisiana attended the Amour de Cafe presentation because he wanted to learn about the event. Johnson said Waters’ lecture was informative and inspirational.
“Mr. Waters gave a fact-filled presentation loaded with a lot of background information that helped to set the stage and prepare the mind. Accompanied by maps of the period, I was able to visualize the events as they were explained,” Johnson said. “The lecture also revealed things about the city of New Orleans that I had not known before in regards to the slave economy and culture of the day.”
Josephine Smith of Kenner, a self-proclaimed history buff, marveled at the sophisticated efforts of a group of people lacking resources.
“Slaves were not supposed to have any education,” Smith said. “They managed to organize a group of people to follow them to try to gain their freedom. Although they didn’t succeed, I thought this was amazing. People back then wanted their freedom at any cost.”
Betty Brock said that hosting the presentation at her coffee shop was good for the community.
“I believe in supporting the community because the community supports me,” she said. “We need to know what is going on, considering Kenner played a role. We’re standing on ground where it took place. I’m struck by the fact that many of our ancestors took part in the largest slave revolt in our country.”
And through events such as the lecture, the oral tradition continues.
“Now I can tell the story. I can be a part of that storytelling, letting others know the history that Kenner played and the fact that we had ancestors (who) were on a slave plantation that participated in this great revolution for freedom,” said Marc Johnson, a Kenner resident and judge for the Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal.
Information about 1811 history tours may be found at the
www.historyhidden.net website. For information on the Louisiana Museum of African American History, call Waters at 504.432.9901 or e-mail lamuseumafrique@gmail.com.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Thursday, February 17th 2011 at 4:28PM
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