Jordan Ashby Photo
Percussionist Michael Mills and friends welcome home the Amistad with a beat.
New Haven welcomed the historic Amistad schooner home Wednesday — with a modern-day civil rights case on its mind.
The ship — a recreation of the original Spanish schooner that brought captives from Sierra Leone to Connecticut in 1839 — arrived at Long Wharf as part of its 2022 Voyage for Freedom. The Amistad will remain at 389 Long Wharf Drive hosting free public events between June 30 and July 3, including a film discussion of Stephen Spielberg’s Amistad, dockside tours, and an artist showcase.
The Amistad serves to tell the history of the African captives aboard who revolted and eventually fought for and won their freedom in the “first human rights case in the United States,” noted Kai Perry, president of the Amistad Committee.
Paula Mann-Agnew: Link history to modern-day ties.
While the Mende captives fought for their freedom 183 years ago, their example and legacy remain relevant today, Paula Mann-Agnew, executive director of Discovering Amistad, told the crowd assembled for the ship’s return.
It serves as a living memory for the need for racial and social justice, said Charles Warner of the CT Freedom Trail.
“[The Amistad] is also in my mind a symbol of the work that we need to continue to do… It’s a reminder that we had earlier this week or early last week, when a gentleman named Richard Cox was deeply mistreated by the New Haven police,” said Mayor Justin Elicker (pictured above).
“We work so hard and are committed to his work but we have a lot more work to do and this ship being here, the work that Paula and her team are doing to use the ship as a symbol, as teaching tool, to welcome people to understand our history, the good parts and the very bad parts, will make us stronger as a community.”
“This is a moment that this incident is going to teach us,” agreed Hill Alder Carmen Rodriguez. “We all need to reflect and know that humankind needs to be kind.”
“The ship is used as a floating classroom so that students, young and old, can talk about and learn the Amistad story but also pull out the themes that reflect on racial and social justice,” Mann-Agnew said. “Now you know the story. So the question is: How do you see yourself as a leader? Where is your voice? How can we help you tap into your power?”
Discovering Amistad has always had the mission of promoting racial justice and ties the teaching of history closely to that. In the summer of 2020, raised a Black Lives Matter flag signifying the connection between the 1839 revolt and the challenges of the modern day.
After July 3rd, the Amistad is scheduled next to return New Haven for the month of August. Visit Discovering Amistad to schedule tours and see the schedule of events.
