Joseph McGill’s mission is to sleep in every former slave dwelling in America! He’s slept in 41 so far.
But why would anyone want to do this?
McGill’s ancestors were enslaved, and he is fascinated by history. He sleeps directly on dirt floors, sometimes even in shackles, to get an embodied ancestral experience.
While these experiences are humbling and healing, McGill has also learned that SO much of the enslaved experience, outside of working the fields, is being erased.
Speaking about enslavement, McGill stated, “Americans tend to focus on the ‘big house,’ the mansion and gardens, and neglect the buildings out back… If we lose slave dwellings, it’s that much easier to forget the slaves themselves.”
McGill’s work, The Slave Dwelling Project, preserves untold experiences of enslaved Africans. Much of what we believe about plantation life is fed to us by Hollywood - but these depictions barely scratch the surface.
McGill’s project holds historic societies accountable to preserve slave dwellings. Emphasizing the importance of these cabins over the “big house” dismantles whiteness within these spaces.
White supremacy turns our history into capitalist tourism. But we get to honor our ancestors whenever and however we want, whether that be public restorative efforts like McGill’s, or private ceremonies held away from the white gaze.