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Associated Press
05-07-2025
- General
- Associated Press
In photos, the remaining descendants of the last known slave ship hold memorial ceremony
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The remaining descendants of the last ship carrying enslaved Africans to land in the U.S. in 1860 met Saturday in Mobile, Alabama, for a memorial ceremony. Attendees, many of them dressed in white, gathered near Africatown Bridge on the banks of the river, where the ship remains submerged because it is too decayed to be extracted. Descendants say they are intent on ensuring the public never forgets what human beings endured during their two-month voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. 'The Clotilda history and the community that they built in Africatown is very much something that we honor, talk about, discuss, celebrate,' said Chanelle Blackwell, a ceremony organizer. The ship, known as the Clotilda, was discovered in 2019 in the murky waters of the Alabama Gulf Coast. But, more than 40 years ago, descendants of the 110 Africans who were ferried to American shores collectively founded a historical society to preserve the culture and heritage of the last Africans brought to America, and to ensure that future generations are aware of their ancestors and African history. Walter Jermaine Bell traveled to Mobile from Atlanta and laid down a ceremonial wreath at the event. He said he was honored and humbled to participate. 'Such a gratifying feeling, a redeeming feeling, to be able to do something to bridge the gap, not just for this group, but also for my kids who are present,' he said. 'I really wanted them to see and participate in this.' Historical records show that Africatown, formally known as Plateau, was bought by 32 of the freed survivors of the Clotilda after the Civil War, about 3 miles (4.83 kilometers) north of Mobile. The Clotilda had been under a $1 million state-funded investigation to excavate and preserve the ship, to be brought on land, with the goal of turning it into a museum that could generate a much-needed amount of revenue for the Africatown community. A task force of archaeologists, engineers and historians, headed by the Alabama Historical Commission, recommended in a report that pillars be installed around the ship underwater to protect it from passing ships — an event they suspect caused the ship to break in half before it sank. Cherrelle Jefferson Smith attended the annual event for the first time. A resident of Africatown who moved to Mobile in 2014, she said 'it seems like I was meant to be here.' 'It was very sacred and personal, no matter if you're a descendant or not,' she said, adding that she was brought to tears by the event. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. ____ AP Race and Ethnicity reporter Jaylen Green reported from New York. Adrian Sainz contributed from Memphis, Tennessee.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hundreds run across iconic Mobile bridge to help Africatown
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — An iconic bridge got some extra attention Saturday as hundreds of people jogged in the Africatown 7th Annual Bridge Challenge 5K. A flood of people powered through the starting line, hoofing their way around the corner and ultimately to the other side of the Cochrane–Africatown Bridge. 'I just think it's beautiful up here in the morning and just to go over the top of the city,' runner Tom Hoffman said. The run has turned into a tradition, with the highlight being a view that you can't quite get if you're driving over the bridge. 'You can see a lot of the ships out there and just the immediate surroundings. It's kind of therapeutic if you don't notice the traffic. But yeah, it's very beautiful up there,' runner Joseph Barrow said. The run raises money for the Africatown Community Development Corporation, which in turn spends it in the community through various projects aimed at helping the people who live here. 'It keeps our community going,' Thelma Owens with the Africatown Community Development Corporation said. 'It helps us to help our seniors, and if we've got our seniors and our children come, the children keep the community alive.' It's a long walk up and over the bridge to see the Mobile River from a new angle. 'All ages can roll from the babies in their moms' baby strollers to the oldest,' Owens said. The chance to see the city from this vantage point is not something most people can do safely without cones and police blocking a lane of traffic, a safe way to explore an iconic bridge outside of a car. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
