Should Slave Cabins Ever Be Rental Properties?

Hello friends,

If someone wanted to turn Holocaust death camps into holiday resorts, most people would have something to say about that, and it wouldn’t be good. So, why don’t we feel the same way about old plantation houses and other remnants from the period of enslavement?

After all, both of them are reminders of genocide and torture, and both of them come from times when humans showed some of their worst traits. So why is Southern plantation tourism so popular?

The reason this comes to mind is because of a recent TikTok showing that someone is using an old slave cabin as a bed and breakfast. I’ll wait for you to pick your jaw off the floor…

It raised a number of issues for me.

First, that there are people who think revisiting the site of trauma and treating it as a holiday experience is OK. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve gone to exhibits relating to the period of enslavement. I was acutely aware of where this sat within my history and, for the most part, maintained a respectful silence. In fact, at times I couldn’t have spoken even if I’d wanted to, such were the emotions the artefacts stirred up.

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