Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Texas Commission Removes Books From Plantation Written By Slaves After White Woman Complains

Michelle Hass; Varner-Hogg Plantation
Texas History Trust/YouTube; Texas Historical Commission/YouTube

The Texas Historical Commission removed nearly two dozen books from gift shops of two former slave plantations after one White woman, Michelle Haas, complained.

The Texas Historical Commission removed nearly two dozen race-related books from two former slave plantations after a White woman, Michelle Haas, complained about their presence at the sites' gift shops.

While visiting the Varner-Hogg plantation last year, the amateur Texas historian became enraged over an informational video that, in her mind, focused too much on slavery and not enough on the owners of the sugar plantation.


In emails sent to commission board member David Gravelle, Haas also voiced her displeasure over books found in the gift shop at both Varner-Hogg and nearby Levi Jordan plantation.

Titles included those by Black academic historians Carol Anderson and Ibram X. Kendi, whose writings tackle the issue of systemic racism.

In an email to Gravelle in September of last year, Haas wrote:

“What a sh*tshow is this video."
"Add to that the fact that the activist staff member doing the buying for the gift shop thinks Ibram X. Kendi and 'White Rage' have a place at a historic site.”

Haas has her own book, 200 Years a Fraud, in which she disputes Solomon Northup’s claims in his 1853 memoir Twelve Years a Slave, arguing that such books paint the South in a bad light as slavery was “a socially acceptable and economically worthwhile practice worldwide at the time our thirteen colonies arose.”

According to Texas Monthly, Haas continued emailing Gravelle for the next eight months insisting the books, along with many others written about and by slaves, be removed.

Eventually, Gravelle took the matter up with Historical Commission, requesting action.

White Rage by Anderson and Stamped From the Beginning by Kendi, along with 23 other titles Haas deemed inappropriate, are no longer available at the historic sites. Other titles removed include Roots by Alex Haley, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison as well as autobiography of a slave girl and a book of Texas slave narratives.

People online were floored by Haas' request for the books' removal, but even more shocked by the commission's action.

@_raviee/X











The commission claimed the removal of books about slavery was part of an "inventory reduction plan" to halt all purchasing, sell through inventory, and identify merchandise to be removed.

Interestingly, there are now 39 titles for sale, down from the 87 available in June.

All 23 of Haas' proposed removals are no longer available for purchase on either plantation's website.

More from Trending

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less