Not Erased but Restored: Black Legacy, Ownership, and Memory

Traveling from Atlanta to Tennessee was beautiful and felt like traveling through time. Atlanta seems much more modern, and Tennessee gave me that “rustic” vibe. When we were learning about the history of whiskey, it made it easier to picture it because of the setting. Getting the chance to take in nature and appreciate the setting helped me realize how geography holds memory, which is something that I never recognized before, especially growing up in New York, a city that is so fast-paced. In Our Declaration, Danielle Allen emphasizes this idea of patrimony and the importance of restoration and its connection to ownership. Ownership is such an important thing, especially for not only Black people but Black women in America. Ownership over our lives, bodies, and even our definition of what it means to be Black. For so long, Black women have experienced everything but ownership, and going to the distillery helped show me how important ownership is. I got to see the beauty in being able to own something and pass it down. That is my understanding of legacy being able to have a choice and pass that down. 

I think that succeeding through something that delights even as it wounds points to the importance of authenticity and the reality of erasure. I think what Uncle Nearest Distillery is doing is so beautiful because Black history is often forgotten due to erasure attempts. The delight in this context would be the profit from selling the whiskey, while the wound is the silencing or erasure of Nearest Green. Because Jack Daniel’s is the name that is remembered, I think that the most remarkable thing is that they are reclaiming Nearest Green’s legacy and history, and in a way, they are giving him life again. The distillery is an active form of resistance that refuses to let erasure be the final thought. This aligns with Robin D.G Kelly’s Freedom Dreams and the importance of looking at buried or forgotten histories to imagine new futures. 

The trip to the Uncle Nearest Distillery helped teach me the importance of experience. The objects around us, and seeing and feeling things with our eyes and hands, add so much significance. It is one thing to hear about history, but being a part of and experiencing it adds so much depth. When you experience things, you understand you are a part of history. I think there are so many moments within the day that we take for granted and just let slip away because it is so “routine” and we do not take the moment to stop and realize that we will be the ones people tell stories about. This trip helped me see more value in my contributions to the world. Our tour guide was very kind during the retreat and asked us what we wanted to do after graduation. At first, I was hesitant to speak up, but I eventually did, and he gave us so many encouraging words and let us know the importance of young Black educated women. Visiting Uncle Nearest helped me see myself as part of a community committed to remembering and reshaping stories. As an honors student, I am responsible for joining the work of preservation and imagination. For a long time, I have been so focused on the grade aspect of education that I forgot how valuable it is to have hands-on learning moments. This trip made me more conscious of the importance of reclaiming stories and envisioning a future where Black contributions are never erased. 

    Love Story Evidence                      Complication/ Tension                 Brand vs. History 

 

- Hannah Hunter