We are honored that you are considering to join us for a powerful day of reuniting and reconnecting with your ancestors and the collective memory of your formerly enslaved relatives in Louisiana’s River Parishes.

We are Barbara Washington and Gail LeBeouf, Co-Founders and Co-Directors of Inclusive Louisiana, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting environmental racism in St. James Parish.

Through the research of Lenora Gobert, a trusted friend and sought-after genealogist, we have discovered that you are one of 57 living descendants of the Buena Vista Plantation about 12 miles from our Village Hub, in St. James Parish.

It would be our pleasure to host you at our Village Hub in Convent, Louisiana, on Saturday, November 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for a powerful day of discovering and reconnecting with a part of your past.

During this gathering, we will share and expand upon the findings of genealogist Lenora Gobert, explore the connection between genealogy and environmental justice, and discuss the significance of Buena Vista Plantation—to you, to us, to the region, and to our collective history. Most importantly, we will come together to consider how we can honor these discoveries and use them to help shape a more informed and connected future.

There is no cost for you to attend this experience. Please RSVP HERE !

As part of our ongoing Historic Preservation work, Inclusive Louisiana launched a major initiative to honor and protect the legacy of St. James Parish’s historic Black spaces that have long served as centers of faith, resistance, culture, ancestral reverence and community leadership along the River Road corridor. Preserving these stories matters because too often the contributions of Black communities in Louisiana are overlooked, erased, or left undocumented. Through this work, Inclusive Louisiana is helping ensure that future generations can see, learn from, and remain connected to the people, places, and institutions that shaped this region’s history. This is the kind of community-rooted preservation work our people deserve, and the kind of collective memory we are committed to protecting for generations to come.

Please take a look at this short film, taken from our black history month celebration in 2025.

Black History, Feb. 23rd, Buena Vista Plantation Here.

I am Lenora Gobert, a genealogist working at The Louisiana Bucket Brigade (LABB). Working with a team of genealogists we discovered information about your enslaved ancestors that you and your family may not know. It’s a great story about family groups enslaved by a planter named Benjamin Winchester on his Buena Vista plantation in St James Parish, Louisiana.

The present day tract of land, known as the Buena Vista plantation, was purchased in 1978 by Taiwan company Formosa Plastics Corporation, USA. It is one of the heavy industry corporations sited in St James Parish which have been polluting the residents and environment for over half a century. This area is a portion along the Mississippi River known as “Cancer Alley.” Community groups, such as our partner Inclusive Louisiana, have been fighting to reclaim land, burial sites, their health, and environmental health.

We have been fighting along side other environmental justice organizations and local community groups,-utilizing all of our resources in this movement. One of the most unexpected and unique tools is employing findings from genealogy research.

I have been researching the enslaved who died at the Buena Vista slave labor camp and, by researching documentation over time,  have also found information about families that were grouped together in paperwork that was recorded in the courthouse after Buena Vista was sold prior to start of the Civil War.

Given our work to preserve the burial sites of enslaved people, connect living descendants with their ancestors, and document the communities tied to the land, your involvement is essential. We are reaching out to seek your help in identifying and integrating these important historical, ancestral, and community connections.

What: Buena Vista Family Reunion: Finding Our Way Home

When: Saturday, November 7, 2026, 9:30am – 4:00pm

Where: Inclusive Louisiana’s Village Community Hub, 8111 Romeville St, Convent, LA 70723

Please let us know by September 28th if you will attend.

RSVP TO ATTEND HERE

Or email us at:  Gianna@NewQuorum.org or by phone at (225)247-2675

We look forward to meeting you and have you become part of the St James Parish family!

Watch the video: Black History February 23rd, 2025, Buena Vista

Read Article from The Lens Nola: In this ground our ancestors were buried