In photos, the remaining descendants of the last known slave ship hold memorial ceremony

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The remaining descendants of the last ship carrying enslaved Africans to land in the U.S. in 1860 met Saturday in Mobile, Alabama, for a memorial ceremony.

Attendees, many of them dressed in white, gathered near Africatown Bridge on the banks of the river, where the ship remains submerged because it is too decayed to be extracted.

Descendants say they are intent on ensuring the public never forgets what human beings endured during their two-month voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

“The Clotilda history and the community that they built in Africatown is very much something that we honor, talk about, discuss, celebrate,” said Chanelle Blackwell, a ceremony organizer.

The ship, known as the Clotilda, was discovered in 2019 in the murky waters of the Alabama Gulf Coast. But, more than 40 years ago, descendants of the 110 Africans who were ferried to American shores collectively founded a historical society to preserve the culture and heritage of the last Africans brought to America, and to ensure that future generations are aware of their ancestors and African history.

Walter Jermaine Bell traveled to Mobile from Atlanta and laid down a ceremonial wreath at the event. He said he was honored and humbled to participate.

“Such a gratifying feeling, a redeeming feeling, to be able to do something to bridge the gap, not just for this group, but also for my kids who are present,” he said. “I really wanted them to see and participate in this.”

Historical records show that Africatown, formally known as Plateau, was bought by 32 of the freed survivors of the Clotilda after the Civil War, about 3 miles (4.83 kilometers) north of Mobile.

The Clotilda had been under a $1 million state-funded investigation to excavate and preserve the ship, to be brought on land, with the goal of turning it into a museum that could generate a much-needed amount of revenue for the Africatown community.

A task force of archaeologists, engineers and historians, headed by the Alabama Historical Commission, recommended in a report that pillars be installed around the ship underwater to protect it from passing ships — an event they suspect caused the ship to break in half before it sank.

Cherrelle Jefferson Smith attended the annual event for the first time. A resident of Africatown who moved to Mobile in 2014, she said “it seems like I was meant to be here.”

“It was very sacred and personal, no matter if you’re a descendant or not,” she said, adding that she was brought to tears by the event.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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AP Race and Ethnicity reporter Jaylen Green reported from New York. Adrian Sainz contributed from Memphis, Tennessee.