When hearing the word, Plantation in the 21st century one may think of a field full of rich nutritious foods, crops, cotton fields or something to do with farming. Many hear that name and automatically think of people of color and slaves and slave owners. I recall going through school and hearing about Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, segregation and the Jim Crow Laws. The way people of color slaved over plantation fields, sweating, picking cotton and living in America a place they call the “land of the free”, a place where “dreams comes true”, yet has a horrid past of, not all citizens having freedom, but being owned by other human beings. People of color, worked the fields and were slaves to the white man. This is where men lost some of their dignity, because their women of color were mistreated, raped, forced into sex, and traded to other white slave owners. Most of these lands were in the South, but Florida. Florida, never comes to mind.
According to Bowman and Forde, Slave labor had contributed to building up Florida State. Harry Flagler, was a white, rich man, who long after the civil war, took advantage of laboring African Americans, involuntarily and used his White privilege to salvage investigation reports of his illegal activity of working people of color. He worked them to build roads, hotels, and more (Bowman et al, 2018). I wanted to post a bit of history on Florida State, given the petition for a name change in Florida city taking place currently. In Florida city, in plantation, it is said not to have been a place where slaves worked (t.v news report).
Several Persons has their hands involved in creating a petition to change one of the names in Florida City. One of them is, Dharyl Auguste. The name of that city, is called Plantation. From the media coverage, it showed this interviewing of Dharyl Auguste about why he is going around asking for this petition to be signed and why he feels the name of plantation needs to be changed. Dharyl responded, in light of the recent events with Black Lives Matter and the death of George Floyd, having such a name like that is going to continue to cause division, given the current events in the news about people of color.
Given what is known about Plantations and the city, “Plantation” and the current events of today, I would say it is be-fitting to move along with the petition with the rest of those who are making change in the world and are acquiring for change. There are plenty of other names to go for. Florida, is known, as the “sunshine state”, it shouldn’t be tarnished because of wanting to keep a name, such as “Plantation”, in the city of Plantation. Plantation, just by hearing, to not only people of color, but other races, hears this word as a word with such negativity attached to it and it’s history. When One thinks of sunshine, it ought to make you happy, but there is nothing about touring a city, with Florida state with a name like “plantation”. As an African American Female, There is nothing historic about the name, like that of visiting Jamestown, Martin Luther King Monument or the Black and Wax Museum etc. Changing the name of Plantation, will not lose any meaning, but would rather gain one.
Bryan Bowman and Kathy Roberts Forde (2018). “How slave labor built the state of Florida — decades after the Civil War”. Washington Post.
College Lyfe 
Hi Alexandria! I really enjoyed reading your analysis, you introduced it in a different approach. I was shocked to learn that there is a city in Florida called Plantation. I have never heard of it and I believe that there should be a name change. I also agree that having prominent cities with a title of Plantation will cause a division among the public. However, there are other factors that will always keep the dynamic of the majority vs the minority. Changing these city names are a great step into the progression within the country. News channels will do their best to cover the reality behind the division. Do you agree with this idea? Overall, great job!
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Thank you. I really do agree with all that you wrote. Florida had to start somewhere and the name change will be a great start. Also, yes, if many minorities step up in position and power of authority, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be considered the majority. Then again, it appears Asians are now overpopulating the U.S more than three whites or people of color. As Martin Luther King Jr said, one day we will all be created equal. Yes, there is still division.
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Great Post. I never knew that a place called plantation existed. Yeah, when I heard plantation the first thought I had was about slavery and I agree that it should definitely change. I wished this was on the News and get more views because now the news are starting to focus a little bit more on the elections.
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Yes, everywhere is focusing on the elections and giving negative attention to everything else going on, like the black lives matter movement. This city in Florida called plantation, is mostly not just because of this building, but because they’re are many places in plantation, that have this name. For instance, plantation movie theater, plantation library and so on….. It’s bizarre to me
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One thing that I cannot stop thinking about is how I am a visiting student from Villanova University, and one of our fraternity houses is called “plantation”. Now it is only called that because that is the street name, but it is horrifying none the less. I would have liked a little more if you connected your information to the readings and videos more just to show how they correlate, but besides that great!
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Hey Milan,
That was one of my points, to explain plantation, because this situation did not get as much conversation and is now overshadowed by the recent and always ongoing conversation about our President. As far as the reading, Government always has a way of not getting involved, fast enough (like the Katrina catastrophe) with what’s going on in society. Most times, when it involves the Black community and the media/news has their control, in displaying what they also want to show. Like, with my viewing of “plantation”. If not for the news and broadcasting of this small airtime, I would not have taken a liking to do more research. Like in our readings both (news, media, social platforms) shapes societal views.
Limbaugh, in favor of many “right wing” or Republican party and has much to discuss positively in that direction and when it comes to the, “democrats, or weaklings or the Black- whoah with me communities” (this is how he would describe those communities based on the reading), he has nothing but what is described as his truth and he’s not afraid to tell it, like it is attitude, if he were covering this discussion on the changing of the name “plantation”. With the news, it can be bias. The news can be in favor of showing and telling more or less. Helping or not helping (causes, communities). As said, I found out more on my own once I saw the small introduction on the news and I used the platform of social media to see if and how this situation was being discussed.
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