Jonesland is one of many historic Black communities along the lower Mississippi River, and like many free towns, Jonesland’s future, and remarkable past, is at risk. Southeast Louisiana, sometimes called Cancer Alley, is home to a quarter of the nation’s petrochemical industries. As one resident puts it, “They took our air. They took our land. They’ve taken our water. We can’t even worship in the river.” Join filmmaker Jazmin Miller and reporter Anya Groner to learn about the history of extraction, the survival of an extended Black family, and the remarkable secret they kept for more than a century.

Groner is an award-winning journalist, fiction writer, and essayist, with work in Guernica, the New York Times,the Oxford American, Orion Magazine and the Atlantic. Her audio reporting is featured in Monument Lab’s podcast Plot of Land, which explores how land ownership and housing in the United States have been shaped by the entrenched interplay of power, public memory, and privatization. She lives in New Orleans and teaches creative writing at the New Orleans Center for Creative Art and the New Orleans Writers Workshop.

Miller is a theatre artist, filmmaker, and the executive director of the non-profit Carpenter Art Garden. She is currently working on a forthcoming documentary film, Jonesland, and is also featured on two episodes of Monument Lab’s podcast Plot of Land. Miller lives in Memphis and is passionate about equity, youth development, and education and spends a majority of her time serving on nonprofit boards and other volunteer efforts.

SouthTalks is a series of events (including lectures, performances, film screenings, and panel discussions) that explores the interdisciplinary nature of Southern Studies. This series is free and open to the public, and typically takes place in the Tupelo Room of Barnard Observatory unless otherwise noted. Visit the Center’s website for current information about all Center events. During the 2023–24 academic year, the programming theme is “Creativity in the South.”