Diocesan Staff Tour McLeod Plantation on James Island

On Tuesday, April 5, Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley and Diocesan Staff toured the grounds of McLeod Plantation on James Island where enslaved people were brought from Africa through Charleston harbor in the mid-1800s. The historic site, a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, offers an honest look at life on the plantation through the eyes of the enslaved people who were brought there without their consent, and through whom the fabric of our history and our culture was woven.

The tour was led by Toby Smith and John Gardner (who serves on the Diocesan Commission for Racial Justice and Reconciliation), who shared the stories of the enslaved people who lived on this sacred ground, how they were brought there against their will, forced to labor for the cultivation and processing of sea island cotton, endured unspeakable conditions and inhumane treatment, and yet through it all, maintained and embraced their Gullah/Geechee culture and persevered. The visit also included a close look at a cemetery on the grounds where untold numbers of enslaved people are buried. Efforts are currently underway to identify and properly memorialize this sacred area. Bishop Ruth offered a prayer alongside the cemetery for the bodies of the blessed souls laid to rest there. The visit to McLeod was an opportunity to continue to understand the history of our country and our state as we continue on a path toward reconciliation.

Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley said of the visit: "It was a profoundly impactful morning for me. I was so moved to learn that, as constituent member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, McLeod centers its work on the lives of those who were enslaved on the land. The time we spent at McLeod with John Gardner and Toby Smith deepened my commitment to our collective work of justice.”