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The Navy in Africatown
On Saturday, July 9 th , the Clotilda Descendants Association will commemorate the
162 nd year anniversary of the harrowing voyage that brought their ancestors to America
with the annual “Landing” ceremony underneath the Africatown Bridge beginning at
twelve noon.
A ceremonial wreath laying will take place at exactly 1:10 p.m., a symbolic salute to the
memory of those 110 PEOPLE crammed into the cargo hold of Clotilda in 1860 and
brought to Mobile merely to satisfy a bet by a wealthy slaver that he could smuggle a
load of Africans into the country past the watchful eye of authorities.
The congressional act prohibiting all importation of Africans to America for the purpose
of enslavement was enacted on March 2, 1807, and became law on January 1, 1808, …
making it a federal crime.
Descendants of the captives and Africatown community leaders will speak at the event,
and a libation ceremony will also be performed paying honor to the brave men and
women who not only endured an inhumane voyage, but later survived an additional 5
years of captivity before being emancipated and established the North Mobile
community now known as Africatown.
The descendants ask that all who wish to come and honor the ‘Spirit of the 110’ dress in
white, but if you’re not able to attend take a picture of yourselves and family at exactly
1:10 p.m., and email the photo along with your names to [email protected] so it
can be posted on the CDA website and its Facebook page.
For more information contact the CDA at 251-604-0700 or send an email to the address
provided.