I first heard of Africatown in relation to the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to bring enslaved Africans over to the United States. Other than that, though, I didn’t know much about this historic community. So, when I heard that I’d have the opportunity to visit Africatown for its 3rd annual Lantern Walk, the decision to go was an easy one.
I didn’t quite know what to expect for this trip. I had only been to Alabama once before, and that was to visit the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice earlier in the year. I suppose I anticipated a similarly powerful and emotional experience, and yet, while my trip was exactly that, it was also so much more.
What I found visiting Africatown was a community deeply committed. People committed to each other, to protecting and preserving their history, to investing and creating a future, to establishing their own narratives, and to living in and honoring the present moment.
This year’s Lantern Walk was dedicated to Mobile County Training School teacher Mr. Isaiah O. Pinkney, a pillar of the community who recently passed away. During the morning brunch, members of the community gathered and told stories honoring Mr. Pinkney and his legacy. Towards the end of the brunch, all of the Mobile County Training School alumni sang the school’s alma mater. It was a simple yet beautiful moment that highlighted to me just how important the Mobile County Training School was, and is, to Africatown. I remember thinking how I didn’t even know if my high school had an alma mater, let alone what the lyrics were.
There were other highlights of the trip too. The lantern walk itself was definitely an experience I’ll never forget. We each received small lanterns that we held as we walked along a preplanned route. We visited several sites of significance, including the high school and the cemetery, and we learned about Africatown in a way that you cannot experience online. There is something to be said about physically being in a place, about putting in work to honor those who came before us, about making an effort to make an effort.
There were so many more moments and people and places that made this trip a special one in my heart. My time in Africatown moved me in a way that I still haven’t fully come to terms with. All I know is, I am forever grateful that I got the opportunity to go, and I hope that I’ll get to go again.
Pablo Vasquez