“The descendants of David Drake learned who he was 10 years ago. They see his jars as his artistic and spiritual inheritance—and their own.”
slavery
Posted inEditor's Pick
Black Earth
“In North Carolina, a Black farmer purchased the plantation where his ancestors were enslaved— and is reclaiming his family’s story, his community’s health, and the soil beneath his feet.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
To Understand Mississippi, I Went to Spain
“The forces that would shape my home state’s violent history were set in motion by a 480-year-old map made by a Spanish explorer.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
40 Acres and a Lie
“We compiled Reconstruction-era documents to identify 1,250 formerly enslaved Black Americans given land—only to have it returned to their enslavers.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Slavery Reparations Are Coming
“A historic global movement gains power in Barbados.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Fugitive Heiress Next Door
“How a reclusive woman’s past in suburban D.C. sparked a true-crime sensation in Brazil—and a national reckoning over the status of household servants.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Enslaved potter David Drake searched for his family. More than 150 years later, they’ve found him.
“‘He was sending these messages,’ said Daisy Whitner, whom genealogists have identified as a descendent of Drake.”
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Seeing Beyond the Beauty of a Vermeer
“The violence of his era can be found in his serene masterpieces — if you know where to look.”
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The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This edition includes writing from Cynthia R. Greenlee, Krithika Srinivason, Noah Vineberg, Monica Mark, and Alex Pappademas.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Reclaiming a North Carolina Plantation
“On a former plantation in Durham, a land conservancy and two determined sisters are pioneering a model for providing land to Black gardeners and farmers.”