In 1860, 110 people from the West African country now known as Benin were captured and smuggled to what is known as Mobile, Alabama, aboard The Clotilda, a ship that was burned by its owner, Timothy Meaher, to cover up his actions. Margaret Brown’s recent documentary, Descendant, tells the story of the families of those brought over on The Clotilda, who now form the community of Africatown, and how the recent discovery of the shipwreck compels them in the struggle for self-determination and justice. The film's attention to shared history, recomposed challenges and communal organizing in Africatown help us think about our own practices in forging free futures in our own locations.  

In addition to watching the film, registrants are asked to read a selection from Zora Neale Hurston's Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo." 

Join the Center for Urban Education for engaging study and conversation following the film, co-facilitated by Pitt School of Education faculty members Martez Files (Assistant Professor of Black Studies in Teacher Education) and Watufani M. Poe (Assistant Professor of Language, Literacy, and Culture), along with Lorena Amos (United Black Book Club of Pittsburgh).