How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

Smith rides the bus to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, often called Angola. He sits next to Norris Henderson, an advocate for criminal justice reform who was incarcerated for 30 years at Angola. Norris gives tours of Angola, sometimes in conjunction with a tour at Whitney. Emphasizing the connection between slavery and mass incarceration, Smith discusses the history and impact of convict leasing, pig laws, and Louisiana’s non-unanimous jury requirement. 

When they arrive at Angola, they begin the tour in the museum. Smith feels unsettled by the commercial aspect of Angola that he observes in the gift shop. It prompts him to question who the gift shop serves and why people see it as a tourist destination. He continues his tour of the museum, including the Angola Prison Rodeo Room, and he lists some of the items he finds as he continues. It becomes clear to Smith and another tourist, Samora, that the exhibits are meant emphasize the sensational with its focus on violence, but paradoxically, the museum’s curators have coupled the sensational aspect with a narrative of progress. Smith notes that slavery is nowhere to be found among the sensational aspects, although Angola used to be a plantation.