Time for the Clotilda to be respected and appreciated - al.com

It has always been a puzzle to me that Mobile, Alabama, would have a neighborhood like Africatown, rich in history, that it has never done much to promote. The fact that the settlement is now being recognized and promoted is a testament to the tenacity of the people who settled it and whose descendants live there today.

And the Africatown story is amazing, by the way. It includes wealthy white men who bet on whether one of them could cross the ocean, purchase and enslave dozens of Africans, herd them onto a ship and bring them back across the Atlantic under brutal conditions. The ship’s captain had to sneak his human cargo up Mobile Bay under cover of darkness because -- and this was what made the rich men’s gamble such vicious “fun” -- the importation of slaves into the United States was by then illegal.

With the feds closing in on the men’s plot, the captain put his captives ashore and sailed his ship -- the Clotilda -- up the river, where he torched it. Brought here against their will, with no money or belongings, speaking no English and understanding nothing of the American culture, the hardy group of Africans somehow created and sustained a little community on the north side of Mobile, where some of their descendants live today.

It’s a tale worthy of books and movies. Yet over the years, it was mostly told locally by Africatown residents and a few historians. In fact, without much concrete evidence that the stories were true, and with the ship’s remains never having been found, a lot of people in the region seemed to think the stories were greatly exaggerated or even false.

Now, though, what’s left of the ship has been found on the bottom of Mobile River, and archeologists have confirmed its identity. City, county and corporate leaders are budgeting money for a museum and welcome center, and the state will use more than $3 million in BP oil spill settlement money for the project.

Meanwhile, the national news media -- the New York Times, CBS’ “60 Minutes,” the Smithsonian magazine and National Geographic, among others -- have reported the discovery of the ship and the potential for … what, exactly?

Restoration of the Clotilda or, assuming it’s too fragile to raise, then the construction of a replica? Development of a national park? Renewal of the now-blighted neighborhood? A regional and national marketing campaign? Special attention to the cemetery where some of the original settlers are buried?

All of those could be good things. But first, let’s do this: On a very local level, let’s recognize -- all of us, black and white, newcomers or old-timers, rich or poor, bluebloods or ordinary folks -- Africatown for what it is, and let’s respect its residents for what they and their ancestors have achieved.

Their ancestors, of course, survived the harrowing voyage and established the community. The current residents have heard and told stories over the years to ensure that each generation of children would grow up with some knowledge of the Clotilda. They believed their African forebears when many white people did not -- some out of indifference, some out of racism and others because they did not want to believe that a man from a prominent Mobile family would have done such a terrible thing.

For the longest time, then, Africatown sat mostly untended and unnoticed. That can and should change now -- in part if the national exposure will likely bring an infusion of donations, and in part if Mobile area residents recognize and appreciate the gem in their own back yard. It’s past time for both, but especially the latter, to happen.

Frances Coleman is a former editorial editor of the Mobile Press-Register and a freelance writer who lives in Baldwin County, Alabama. Email her at fcoleman1953@gmail.com and “like” her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/prfrances.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"time" - Google News
December 05, 2020 at 05:45AM
https://ift.tt/3ooZqvh

Time for the Clotilda to be respected and appreciated - al.com
"time" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3f5iuuC
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update

Bagikan Berita Ini