AFRICATOWN- Mobile ,Alabama

 This year's Family Reunion took place in Mobile, AL.  It was my hope to see Africatown. I attended a screening and panel discussion at The Jazz Hall of Fame sometime ago.  It had me wanting to view this hidden gem of a page in American history in person.   

What is Africatown? A group of Africans were illegally transported  to the U.S. on the ship, Clotilda in 1860 long after slavery had been banned in 1808.  In an effort to hide their crime slave owners tried to burn the Clotilda. Africatown was formed by survivors and their descendants. 

Replica Souvenirs

Bioswales are channels designed to concentrate and convey stormwater runoff while removing debris and pollution. Bioswales can also be beneficial in recharging groundwater.
copied from Wikipedia

March 21, 1883, a group of Christian leaders from the Plateau community organized a Baptist Church known at that time as Three Mile Creek Baptist Church, under the leadership of Reverend Frank Peterson.  Years later, the church name was changed to New Hope Baptist Church, then later to Yorktown Baptist Church.    copied from Yorktown Missionary Baptist Church – The Friendly Church With a Welcome For All.

Descendants- the documentary

 Much information was derived and discovered from the Descendant documentary.   A must see for anyone interested in genealogy and African American history.

 

Descendant, an Oscar short-listed film is about the descendants of the survivors of the Clotilda, the last known ship to carry enslaved Africans to the Americas. The film centers on Africatown, a community in Mobile, where Clotilda survivors and their families bought land and built a life. Descendant explores the historical legacy of slavery here in Alabama, and how the impact of environmental harm continues to disproportionately fall on people of color.

Sierra Club

sponsored this FREE screening to Birmingham, including appetizers and refreshments along with live jazz music by Daniel Jose Carr.

Following the film, there was a panel discussion and Q&A with folks featured in the film along with direct descendants of the survivors of the Clotilda.

Though I didn't remain for the panel discussion, I learned much from the documentary. Though the movie shows numerous discoveries that were made following the location of the sunken Clotilda and descendants rejoicing, there is much more that will need to be investigated and legalities that need to be put into place.

That's it 🚢🚢🚢