Dec 26th, 2008 · Shade-grown coffee is sometimes called "bird friendly coffee," but a new paper in the journal Current Biology suggests that the plantations also help maintain the genetic diversity of native tree species. Study author Shalene Jha discusses the research and its implications.
Oct 21st, 2008 · Senator John McCain's ancestors owned a Mississippi plantation and about 120 slaves who worked the grounds. Farai Chideya talks with Douglas Blackmon of the Wall Street Journal and Lillie McCain, a descendant of the McCain plantation workers, about how the black McCains see this election.
Sep 18th, 2008 · A New Yorker and his cousins relocate a North Carolina plantation house. In the process, they grapple with the legacy of their common ancestors — those who lived there, and those who worked its land.
Jul 3rd, 2008 · For years, historian Adam Goodheart had been taking students to an old Maryland plantation. Little did he know there was a trove of family records — an intimate portrait of an influential family — stashed upstairs.
May 8th, 2008 · After the Civil War, freed West African slaves remained on Sapelo Island, an isolated plantation community off the Georgia coast. Lifelong resident Cornelia Bailey says development could erase the Geechee culture.
Oct 3rd, 2007 · The Price of Sugar tells the story of Haitians working in the Dominican Republic to harvest sugar cane. Lawyers for one of the powerful families that own several plantations there accuse the filmmakers of defamation.
Aug 20th, 2007 · Much of the bamboo being used commercially comes from plantations in China. Horticulturalists think that someday it could and should be grown in the USA. It is an eco-friendly crop as it is typically grown without chemicals and pesticides. It's used commercially for everything from floors to blue jeans.
Jun 22nd, 2007 · The real-life story of Margaret Garner is a chilling chapter in American history. As a fugitive slave, Garner is willing to kill before allowing her family to return to the plantation. Novelist Toni Morrison teams up with composer Richard Danielpour to bring Garner's powerful story to the operatic stage.