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They’d survived the unthinkable. Kidnapped from their homes and forced onto an ILLEGAL ship, the Clotilda, that sailed for six weeks from the port of present-day Benin to Alabama.
And their Hellish lives in America began.
White supremacists enslaved most of the 108 survivors on plantations in Mobile, and some were “sold up river” and separated from their families forever. They remained enslaved for five years – until the end of the Civil War freed them.
Many began planning trips back to their African homeland. But those expensive dreams of returning home quickly soured.
Instead, the survivors brought their dreams of Africa to Alabama and created Africatown. They pooled together their money, and purchased land from their former enslavers.
In Africatown, they spoke in their native language and reunited with Yoruba traditions. They built schools, churches, and more. By the 1950s, Africatown was booming with Black-owned businesses!
Today, we still don’t have control over the oppression and violence that white supremacy inflicts on us. However, we have the power to build strong Black communities that ensure we have the tools and resources to thrive regardless of the racism we face.
Like the survivors of the Clotilda, even if liberation feels out of reach, we must find a way – and dedicate ourselves to building up our communities. Our future depends on it!