Procession of Charleston Reparations Task Force as they head into meeting with representatives of Middleton Plantation, Wednesday, April 22, 2026
In coordination with the Charleston Reparations Task Force and its action on April 22, 2026, demanding the transfer of 7,000 acres to Gullah Geechee stewardship, Mary Middleton, a descendant of the Middleton family, shared the following statement:
"Middleton Plantation in Charleston is just like any other plantation in the sense that its origin and legacy are defined by unfathomable human rights violations. However, Middleton is unlike many plantations in the sense that it’s located in one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. With heritage tourism being a massive industry in Charleston, and much of the Southeast, Middleton Plantation draws over 100,000 visitors every year.
"Unless every single one of those guests leaves the plantation feeling horrified, disturbed, and contemplative, Middleton has not done its job as a historical landmark. Unless every guest leaves with an overwhelming and newfound appreciation for their privilege and freedom, Middleton has not done its job as an education site. Unless every guest leaves understanding the importance of Charleston’s Gullah Geechee and African American communities, then Middleton has not done its job as a local landmark.
"Plantations today shouldn’t revolve around preservation for the sake of tourism, but rather education for the sake of change. While there are informational plaques and historical reenactors scattered throughout Middleton’s vast acreage, such efforts don’t even begin to portray the brutality of slavery and torture that took place on the property. This is one of many reasons why it’s vital that Middleton Plantation shifts land ownership to the Gullah Geechee & Lowcountry Black community.
"This is the only way to truly commemorate the horrors of chattel slavery and the lives lost and brutalised, rather than continuing to glamorise the life of the Middleton family, like they have in the last 150 years. 150 years since the abolition of chattel slavery, 60 years since Jim Crow Apartheid, & 10 years since the massacre of 9 Black Christians during a Bible Study at Mother Emanuel AME.
"Middleton Plantation has a duty to make reparations to the Gullah Geechee and African American communities in Charleston, who descend from enslaved families. While the plantation started a small education fund in 2021, this is woefully inadequate, covering a measly $1,000 or 3% of average tuition, for a select few descendants. Their additional layer of disrespect added with the public knowledge that the plantation holds $40+ million in assets, and rakes in over a million dollars revenue every year. This makes the Gullah Geechee community’s call for reparations & land transfer today even more essential.
"Many Black communities in Charleston whose lineage dates to slavery, endure extreme poverty, as well as disparities in both health and housing - a direct result of slavery + Jim Crow and its generational impact on one’s mind, body, and spirit. Today gentrification/ethnic cleansing, economic discrimination, & racial violence have also severely limited the ability for Black folks to thrive in this country.
"Middleton Plantation must step up to this moment by stepping to the side, and committing to the process of the transfer of land to the Gullah Geechee and Lowcountry Black Community in 2026."