Our Mission

The mission of the Duplantier Cousins Committee for Justice (Cousins for Justice) is to actively promote justice - "making things right" - through education, research, and community organizing. We work to build holistic programs of reeducation through structural symbols of remembrance. We believe this mission starts with Magnolia Mound Plantation Museum and the work to honor the history of Black, African, and Creole ancestors.

Our Initiatives

We are completing this work through:

  • Fundraising for a memorial to the enslaved community of Magnolia Mound

  • Creating permanent displays around the history of Black, African, and Creole life

  • Building ongoing relationships with descendants of enslaved communities

Steps Taken

  • April 2021 - Lou Duplantier writes M.A. Thesis - “A Revised Ancestry of The Duplantier Family:

    Centering the Enslaved Community and Tracing Generational Capital”

  • June 2023 - Lou and Maggie Duplantier prepare exhibit honoring the enslaved community for 2023 Duplantier Reunion at Magnolia Mound.

  • August 2023 - First meetings among Duplantier descendants centered around Magnolia Mound history begin.

  • August - January 2024 - Duplantier descendants meet with Magnolia Mound staff and Friends of Magnolia Mound to assert need for improvements and gather more knowledge of their work.

  • January 2024 - Duplantier family members formalize their collective, establishing it as “Duplantier Cousins Committee for Justice” or “Cousins for Justice.”

  • August 2024 - The Cousins visit Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Sites in Montgomery, AL.

  • December 2024 - Sean Duplantier and Lou Duplantier join the board of the Friends of Magnolia Mound to advance work on a memorial and exhibit.

  • March 2025 - Three more Duplantier descendants join The Cousins Committee, bringing it to eight members.

  • June 2025 - Cousins for Justice meet with BREC and Magnolia Mound staff to collaborate on a formal project.

  • July 2025 - Friends of Magnolia Mound approves an “Exhibits Committee” chaired by Lou Duplantier that will focus on public, permanent displays of Black History on site.