Back in the 1980s from the original founders of the descendents association, and i guess it stopped for a while, so i decided to start it up again. And i was reading the book, the slaveship clotilda and the makers of africa town. That is how i came up with the title. I was looking for a title, but you know, a lot of things were not ringing a bell. When i was reading her book, i was like oh wow, our ancestors just jumped at me. You greeted everyone and there was a point where you had descendents speak. How did you come up with your program . Well, growing up here in africa town and attending the missionary baptist church, there was a bust of cudgel lewis in front of our church all of my life, and back in 2002 that bust was destroyed by some kids acting up, and they decided to vandalize, and later, they put up a Historical Marker, and this Historical Marker had the founders of Union Baptist church, and there were several names on there, and growing up, i always heard about cudgel lewis, but not the others. I was like that is pretty interesting that there were these other founders, so i asked around the church. I knew that there were other descendents. I asked around and i wanted to hear more stories about their ancestors. So when i decided to form this program, i wanted them to share their stories. Hello, everyone. My name is claudia. I am so blessed. Thank you so much for asking me to speak here. He was one of the founders of africa town. He was one of many Young Africans who were snatched from their homeland and forcibly brought over on this side. He was very knowledgeable in roots so when anyone got, you know they called on him because he knew exactly what root for what ailment. I could go on and on, but what i want to touch bases on, speak to the young people, is that we are the voice our ancestor. I use talk to joyce about his voice getting lost but his voice is not lost. I am his voice. Every keeby sitting here is his voice. We are the seeds of asa. We have greatness in us. Can you imagine what it was like for him to be brought from his homeland and taken to a strange land and having to start all over and start from nothing . It took courage. It took championship, and that is the heritage that we have in our bloodline. It is a blessing to have that blood flowing through your veins. There is nothing that you cannot achieve. There is nothing that you cannot do. Anything that you want to be, you can be that because he did that, and it is your heritage to move forward. Before i leave the stage, i want to read a poem i wrote some years back entitled who do you say i am . I feel that it is so fitting. Little slave girl, property of man, who was bought and took from the motherland. Told i was nothing, could be no more, sold on the auction block. My words no more than a few shiny coins. Shackles not only around my neck, hands, and feet, also branded on my mind, the words defeat. Could not run, could not hide, or the whip to my backside. Displaced, misplaced far from home. Who do i say i am . A descendent from kings and queens. I am royalty, property of no man. I am an inventor, a lecturer, a builder, a warrior. I inspire. I am striving in reaching all i can be. My worth is beyond the most valuable jewel. It cannot be priced. No longer bound by perimeters set for me to hinder me, the price has been paid. I have been, am, and remained set free. That is what asa did. He remained set free. Thank you. [applause] do we have anyone from another family who would like to speak . Anyone from the lee or marshall family that would like to speak . Good morning, yall. How you doing . I would like to introduce myself as the great, great, great, great, great grandchild of Charlie Lewis also the great, great times fou r neice of cudjo lewis my grandmother is the daughter of eugenia barnes. Finding out that i was a direct descendent of Charlie Lewis, i was shocked. What millennial can actually specifically tell you who their ancestors were and also where they came from . Nobody ever told me. For this to happen i think is a major blessing. The discovery of the clotilda is a real mark of world history. My uncle was blessed with the opportunity to tell his story. The world cannot get a more indepth look into these horrible things that our people went through. Kids and young adults should be more enlightened. We have proof of the details of many things so no one can doubt anything. This discovery and story should be put in all history books from kindergarten to high school, taught on college campuses. The thing about how my ancestors felt when they were brought over to this country, having to drink water and vinegar to prevent scurvy. Hear how they tried to go home but they did not let them. It still crushes my spirit. Africa town, my home. My people endured through whatever the devil put upon them. It motivated people harder. None of this would have came about and i think you both so much for finally putting everything out there for our ancestors in mobile and for the world. Youll have built the strengths of this family back to where it is supposed to be. Ancestors are proud because they are finally being recognized. Accomplishing the things we accomplished. I know that makes them all proud. Growing up, i know i look 12, i was ranked the number one in high school in georgia, number four from the nation. I just graduated from college at Alabama State university. I just got me a Job Interview in my field on wednesday morning, and am currently attending grad school. Let me tell yall something. I am my ancestors wildest dream. [applause] i am of course patrcia frasier our ancestors are james and loddy denison will read a passage. I want to make it clear that lottie was the shipmate. James was not. James had been born in charleston, south carolina, but he was owned by the mayor. When the shipmates arrived in mobile, lottie was purchased by the mayor. He saw that the two of them were married and we do believe it was because he wanted to increase the slave holdings. He was not very successful in that. Because only one of james and lotties children survived. I think she was such a special person. Often times, in africa, women did side work but there husbands were husbands were the breadwinners and took care of the majority of the familys expenses, but in this case, lottie was an equal partner with her husband. They were very entrepreneurial. They owned a farm within the city, and unlike most people will, probably because james wanted to maintain his independence, they moved down the bay. They never lived in africa town, and for that reason, sometimes, people seem to forget that we are descendents, but we are here today to say we are, and we are pleased to be, and unfortunately, we had to talk today because we do not have younger offspring. Bobby has children. I never had any. That could be here to make the presentation. Greetings. We want to read you a small passage from the book, dreams of africa and alabama, by james dennison. He led a truly unique life. He had been among the minority of skilled foreign people. A gifted boat pilot, it would be runaway, a soldier in the union army, and finally, the owner of a dairy farm at a time when there were only a handful of blackowned businesses of this type in the country. Just as important, he had been part of africanAmerican History. He had put his money in the freed mans bank, part of the Mutual Aid Association of birmingham. He had fought along with thousands of other black veterans. He had been a participant in the first reparations movement. James had also been involved in the african story from the very beginning and had chosen to tie his life to theirs while still maintaining independence. Even though he never lived in africatown, he was buried in the africans graveyard. Thank you. [applause] i am my ancestors wildest dream. First, i would like to thank the most high for this infrequent opportunity to stand before royalty and greatness, in which whom we are the descendents. Pardon me, let me rephrase that. The royal descendents of in which we know today as africa town. God is god, and god be the glory. Second, i would like to thank you for inviting me to speak, and to this marvelous committee and organizer of this historical and international occasion. As we pay homage to our ancestors, to our guests, and all of the Freedom Fighters that came before us, i am my ancestors wildest dream. As i sail through the deep seas of my mind only to find that i am the worlds tallest tree. I am a visionary entrepreneur. I am a doctor, and love is my cure. To the depths of greatness and everything in between, i am my ancestors wildest dream. A chain is only strong as its weakest link. Me, my team, police, on a boat with no hope. But that aint the story to be told. Bold as the silhouette shines from the shadow of the sun, zion, zion, zion, as my people cry for the land to open its hands. Even a dying man has a plan to live. I grew up on what some call it a street. Some call it an avenue. Little did i know, 110 blowing in the wind was part of this crew. Questions, mysteries, will never change our history, as it seems. That is why i am my ancestors wildest dream. The river of hate, and to a training school, just to name a few, my mother, annie perle, my father, clarence howard, billy williams, and the whole with it, family. Including me, big, bold coleman, marshall. Just a kid playing at a park. You see what they did. They taught us to put our feet in the mud, hand in the sand. No man can stand without a plan. Take us all just to heal. The lord be my shield, and watch what it brings. I am my ancestors wildest dream. Thank you. [applause] what a wonderful sharing with us the depths of their thoughts about seeing their ancestors. Share another round of applause. Thank you so much. There is a point in the program where you allowed senator doug jones to speak, but you said briefly [applause] [laughter] can you tell us how that happened . Well, putting a program together, because i had it together, and then i got an email from his office saying he wants speak, so i had to try to give him time. So they told me he wanted to speak, so he will speak briefly because i was on a time schedule. I did not want to lose my audience. I wanted him to speak briefly so it could flow. We are allowing senator doug jones to speak briefly. Thank you. [applause] well, i got that message. Briefly. I get that. No problem. I will be brief. [laughter] i want to thank you all for coming here today and letting me just come up for a moment. I am so honored to be here. It was very important for me to come here today to honor and have this opportunity really to recognize the legacy of the clotilda and the descendents from the clotilda. It was so exciting in our office and around the state and around the country, the learning of the clotildas find, that researchers confirmed that wreckage. I will give a quick shout out to my friend who was bringing this to everyones attention early on that helped really i think for most the search that went through here. We are here today because of 150 years ago or more, in 1860, 110 men, women, and children were brought here illegally into the United States. That ship was burned in order to hide the evidence of the horrible crimes that took place. Many here today are the proud descendents of those 110 men and women and children, and i cannot tell you how proud i am to be here. I cannot tell you how important this is. For those descendents, but also for africatown as a whole. To be here with the clotilda descendents association and a number of other Community Organizers who have worked so hard to bring this to the community and its historical significance, you know, these organizations today embody the strength and resilience, the spirit of those who have taken this country by force, for the clotilda and so many other ships, to build a Strong Community that we see here in africa town. You know, trying to do what i can on a more National Level to bring attention to this because it is such an important message. It is such an important symbol of the tragedies of america but also the triumphs of america, so we are working to ensure that the historical significance is recognized, and that resources are dedicated to preserving and protecting the clotilda and all of the historical sites in africa town. Last year, we were able to get 5 million to the Smithsonian Institution to support excavation, education. Thank you. We have expanded the eligibility for civil rights grants under the Historic Preservation fund to make sure that on an ongoing basis, that we have enough money and that includes recently discovered sides of the transatlantic slave trade. This opens the door for millions of dollars in potential funding for clotilda related projects. I introduced a resolution on the floor of the United States senate. I hope you will go on the website and take a look at it, to memorialize the clotildas discovery and spoke about it on the senate floor. That resolution said something i want to emphasize today, the discovery of the ship should be seen as an Inflection Point for meaningful conversation, not just about past injustices, but the injustices that continued today. We all know that they are there. [applause] like all of you, like all of you, i am inspired by the strength and resilience of this community. I am honored to help bring the message of the clotilda and africa to the national stage. If there is one thing i want to make sure that we do, i want to make sure that all of the money, all of the shrines, all that we do with regards to the clotilda stay right here in africa town. Thank you all again for letting me come down for a few moments. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I will be here. [applause] tell us about the keynote speaker that day back in february. Dr. Deborah plant. That was amazing. The second year, we have dr. Deborah plant. I am into the authors have written books on the survivors of africa town, the survivors of the clotilda. That book came out in 2017, i believe, and great book. After 80 years, it was being published. They did not want to publish it. She edited it. We were excited. To have dr. Deborah plant. When they put them and took them across the passage, after 67 years in alabama, he lost his mother tongue. And so, what i like to remind people, when they are reading the book and they say it is in his dialect and that is one of the reasons the book was not published initially in 1931. The publicist said, you know, we want his story, but we want him to write it in a language rather than dialect. That means a lot of things and we do not have that kind of time. Suffice it to say, first of all, when they say talking about what they called, you know, but that is really the language of the establishment. They dont want to hear it in his language. But it is his story. Why should it not be in his language . And the thing about it, in my opinion, is that this language that he wrote in she wrote it, she transcribed it, you know, in the way he spoke. She was an ethnographer, and ethnographers know that language is an identifying feature of any person, any group, any people. You do not change that. When you change the language, you change everything. The thing about it is that when he was taken, he was 19 years old. He spoke some form of the question becomes, how did this young man at 19 years old, speaking some variation of yoruba, winds up in alabama speaking a vernacular with an alabama accent . They did not speak that in west africa. The question is what happens to him that this is now a language that he speaks . Everything that happens to him is encoded in that language. They do not want to publish that, read it, be forced to read something that was not what they are used to hearing. They want to change it. So they can access it rather than changing themselves so they can access what he was talking about. Are you descended from cudjoe lewis . I am the descendent of Charlie Lewis. Who was Charlie Lewis . Charlie lewis was one of the older survivors of the clotilda. They range from the age of two to 24 so he was one of the older ones, chief of a tribe. He was enslaved by colonel Thomas Beaufort, and Charlie Lewis bought land from colonel Thomas Beaufort in 1870 and we call it lewiss quarter. There were displays and tables at the festival. What was that, how did you come up with that idea . I wanted people to, when they walk around, i wanted them to get information from all of the descendents, so i wanted to make it informational when people walk around. I wanted them to get information from each descendant. Tell me about your display here. Ok. We can start from the beginning and bring it all the way down. From cudgel, what we did was we started with the cudjoe, we put his history down here. We had the clotilda ship. We had different books about him. When we got to hear, we wanted to bring his history, so we started the generation of our bloodline, which is cudjoe, to his oldest son, and we took it down to the third generation. Then we took it to my dad. He is the fourth generation. We got his oldest sons bloodline, to tell Different Things about them, and so could you back up a minute and tell us who was cudjoe lewis . He was the last known surviving slave on the clotilda ship, so he survived all the other slaves. When the slave ship came in, they had the slaves on the ship and told them to be quiet. They had to be quiet. It was illegal to bring them in. When they got to the top of the ship and was searching, they did not see nobody, so they let them go. Magazine point is where he first stepped on land. When they got him off the ship, they burnt the ship up. That is how he ended up in there. As the story goes on, it goes to my dad, johnny, right here. He would tell a story about cudjoe because he was raised by cudjoe the first 14 years of his life. He had a chance to know a lot about him and he would sit us down and make sure we understood everything he said. What was the name of the ship, was the clotilda. Great granddaddy was cudjoe lewis he talk with an accent, the same way cudjoe talk. When we read the book, it is everything he said, so we read the book, it had the words the way my dad was telling us. All of that together. The accent that cudjoe had was the same that my dad had. Is this my daddy . Do you think he had a little bit of his accident . My dad would talk to us