HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — The fallout surrounding the historic Latta Plantation continues. It all started a week ago when an event on Juneteenth was described as telling the story from the eyes of slave owners. The county quickly severed ties with the nonprofit that has been running the historic site and on Thursday shut it down for the time being.
Friday, the Charlotte NAACP held a press conference to call for change and send the message that Black history should be told through Black eyes, their passion was fueled even more when two men showed up in Civil War Era attire.
“We're not playing those games. In 2021 or anytime,” Corinne Mack with the Charlotte NAACP said at her press conference on Friday.
She wants to see a change in the conversation.
“We understand that our history must be told. Black history has been eradicated and erased throughout the educational system. So, we want our story told, but we want our story told through Black eyes," she said. “It's important that everyone understands that Black people have gone through such atrocities and such trauma, and that trauma continues.”
Mack’s message was interrupted by those two men.
“One comes looking like he’s a slave, the other as a Union, I don’t care what it is, it’s disrespectful,” Mack said at the press conference.
She believed one was Ian Campbell, the former manager of the Latta Plantation. The man told WCNC Charlotte he is not Campbell.
Campbell first publicly defended the event and told WCNC Charlotte's Tanya Mendis in an email on Thursday that he would not do an interview.
Regardless, activists believe it shouldn't distract from the importance of their message as they focus on the future and what Latta Plantation could be.
“We want to ensure that whatever company, entity that is taking over Latta Plantation has Black people on their board, predominantly Black,” Kass Ottley with Seeking Justice Charlotte said. “We want Black people, Black voices at the table to talk about what happened to our people. We also want to make sure there’s some oversight so this does not happen again."
As the county considers its next move with Latta Plantation, Mack says the NAACP will help, and they’d like to see a place for Black people who were incarcerated and those with the greatest barriers.
“In my mind, why not utilize this particular land to do something that is really going to affect equity,” Mack said.
Despite the Latta Plantation being closed for the time being, NAACP leaders say there will be a group of people protesting on Saturday when the now-canceled event was planned for.
“We want to make sure that there’s a follow-through. Because we're not letting this go,” Ottley said.
The Carolina Raptor Center, which is just next door, has taken a hit from this controversy too. They are not involved or associated with the historic Latta Plantation or the nonprofit that had been running it. They will have free admission on Juneteenth.