New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Amistad back in home port for events this week
NEW HAVEN — The schooner Amistad — the flagship of Connecticut — is back in its home port of New Haven this week for a series of community events and educational programs, according to the Discovering Amistad organization.
It is the third and final stop on the Amistad Journey to Freedom, which included stops in Hartford and Middletown, according to the organization. A welcome event, with free tours of the ship, is planned from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Canal Boat House and Long Wharf Pier in New Haven Harbor.
“I am excited to see the Amistad return to New Haven,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said in a release. “The Amistad is an important reminder of some of America’s darkest days, a symbol of progress, and an educational tool to teach young people about fighting for justice.”
Other speakers at the ceremony Oct. 9 will include state Rep. Toni Walker, state Sen. Gary Winfield and former Mayor Toni Harp. Following the speakers, there will be an entertainment showcase featuring performing artists from International Festival of Arts and Ideas, according to the release.
“The Amistad Journey to Freedom commemorates the 1839 trial in Hartford of 53 captives from Sierra Leone who were kidnapped and illegally sold into slavery, the release said. “These men and children fought for their lives and their freedom aboard the Amistad. A subsequent Supreme Court decision found those involved in the Amistad Uprising not guilty. It marked an early victory for Black and White abolitionists and led to the eventual return of the captives to their native land.”
“The quest for freedom and the struggle for social and racial justice continues today,” said Paula MannAgnew, executive director of Discovering Amistad, the educational organization that owns the ship, also in the release. “It is good to be back in our home port, where we can use our floating classroom to broaden awareness, encourage courageous conversations and mobilize agents of change.”
A part of the Amistad Journey to Freedom will be a “Conversation on Anti-Racism” to be held at the Canal Boat House Oct. 6 and 20, a free discussion series for high school and college students from the region, organizers said in the release. Representatives from the State Conference of the NAACP, the YWCA of Greater New Haven and CREW Haven at the Canal Boat House will lead the discussion. Funding for the program was provided by the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
For information on the New Haven events of the Amistad Journey to Freedom, contact Mann-Agnew at pmannagnew@discoveringamistad.org.