Africatown, Alabama

A Weekend for Growth

Africatown is the only community in the United States built by Africans.  Timothy Meaher and accomplices sailed to West Africa in 1860 on a ship called the Clotilde.  They stole 110 people from Benin and brought them to Mobile, Alabama for enslavement, 52 years after the slave trade had been outlawed in the US. 

After five years these 110 people were emancipated.  Unable to return home to Benin, some of them collectively saved money and bought land from their former enslavers to build a community that reflected the home they missed so much.

Nearly 150 years later, the descendants of these Africans continue to live, work and advocate there.  A once thriving community, Africatown has felt the effects of environmental racism, the war on drugs, and ongoing actions by the descendants of Timothy Meaher that have directly affected their quality of life and access to resources.

Join us for a weekend with the descendants, where you will learn about the history and culture of the people who arrived on the Clotilde, the stories that have been passed down for generations and the future that today's Africatown residents are working towards.

You will leave feeling connected, educated and transformed.