Dig reveals story of America's last slave ship - and its survivors

In August 2010, the anthropology Professor Neil Norman from the College of William & Mary has excavated sites in Plateau, in north Mobile County, looking for remnants of the daily life of the Africans who arrived in Mobile in 1860 as captives on the slave ship Clotilda.
Norman’s personal interest deepened after working in Benin, in west Africa.
In Plateau, on the homesites of the Clotilda's descendants, were architectural elements that he had just begun to uncover.
Norman and his team have also worked identifying and mapping the graves of the old Plateau Cemetery.
Keri Coumanis, assistant director of the Mobile Historic Development Commission, administered the grant from the Alabama Historical Commission that, in part, financed the dig. Other funds came from the city of Mobile and Mobile County, which gave principal support to the cemetery work. The Museum of Mobile was also involved, she said.
The story of Africatown began when 110 African men, women and children were brought as captives from Dahomey, on the coast of west Africa, to Mobile in 1860. The trip was financed by Timothy Meaher, a Mobile shipyard owner in business with his brothers Burns and James Meaher. Timothy Meaher had commissioned the voyage to buy the Africans, despite a federal ban on importing slaves. The Clotilda's arrival marked the last known instance of captured Africans being brought to the United States.
The award-winning, 2007 book by Sylviane Diouf, "Dreams of Africa in Alabama: The Slave Ship Clotilda and the Story of the Last Africans Brought to America" (Oxford University Press) adds to the story.
Norman’s digs focused on the homesites of three of those former slaves: Peter Lee, Charlie Lewis and Cudjo "Kazoola" Lewis.

See http://blog.al.com/live/2010/08/story_of_survivors_of_americas.html

article edited by Angela Allison

Birmingham Back-to-Backs, Hurst St/Inge St

I spent the day in Bham yesterday and enjoyed the free exhibition available at the Birmingham Back-to-Backs. It included many interactive information panels and a film about the Back-to-Backs which included a feature on George Saunders.
George Saunders, of St Kitts, came to the UK in 1958 and worked for Philip Collier’s tailor shop on Hurst St, Bham. He then set up his own shop at Court 15, Bordesley Court, Bham in 1974. He worked at a Hurst St back-to-back until 2001.
It then paid £6 for the 90 minute tour of the Back-to-Backs. A brilliant tour. Splendid artefacts on display and a very knowledgeable tour guide.

Film: Advise & Consent (1962)

Advise & Consent is a 1962 American film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Allen Drury, published in 1959. The movie was adapted for the screen by Wendell Mayes & was directed by Otto Preminger.

It was the first time I'd ever seen this film. I'd not even heard of it before. It was truly amazing, magnificent, compelling!

The cast features Henry Fonda (oh too briefly!), Charles Laughton (excellent!), Don Murray, Walter Pidgeon (magnificent!), Peter Lawford, Gene Tierney, Franchot Tone, Lew Ayres, Burgess Meredith (poor babe!), Eddie Hodges, Paul Ford, George Grizzard, Inga Swenson, Betty White & others.

The film follows the consequences in Washington, D.C. when the President surprises the United States Senate by nominating a man with a hidden past for Secretary of State.

Black British History tours in Birmingham

I contacted Birmingham Tours at enquiries@birmingham-tours.co.uk
Website: www.birmingham-tours.co.uk

and was told, "We are sorry but we have no Black British History tours in Birmingham at the moment - what a good idea.

I will put you on our mailing list and let you know if we develop a tour on this subject."

Kind regards Sue Behan
Heart of England Blue Badge Guide

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Jamaica Independence Day

1962 – Jamaica gained full independence from the United Kingdom, more than 300 years after the English captured it from Spanish colonists in 1655.

Claudia Jones WALK

HINDSITES stages the Claudia Jones WALK, a free cultural walk in Camden celebrating the life and work of anti-racist campaigner Claudia Jones.
Date: Sunday 22nd August 2010 at 10am.
It will be led by actress Jacqui Charles with special guest Rudolf Walker.

Contact walks@camden.gov.uk for booking & details

The Barber & the Ark by Marcia Layne

Issachar has been given an ultimatum by his wife Yvonne - either the dreadlocks go or she does. But the veteran barber he visits has other ideas. Over a bottle of his ‘special-ingredient roots tonic’ he shares his dream of discovering the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia. It’s a dream that will change Issachar’s life.

Dramatised 5th August 2010, BBC R4 at 2.15pm (Afternoon Play)

Stars: Everal A Walsh, Ram John Holder, Kay Purcell, Tachia Newall & Faz Singhateh

African-Italian Alonzo Pietro, known as "Alonzo Il Negro"

4th August 1492: Three ships—Nina, Pinta & Santa Maria—commanded by Christopher Columbus depart from Palos, Spain, on voyage that leads to European discovery of New World & all its ramifications. pilot of Nina is reputed to have been the African-Italian Alonzo Pietro, known as "Alonzo Il Negro."

African proverb: “Until the lions…”

I find the following African proverb problematic: “Until the lions have their own historians, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter.”

It occurs to me that the proverb is actually damaging & not uplifting, as I’d previously believed.

In depicting humans as hunters & lions, it assumes an inevitable, adversarial relationship between black & white people. It suggests that we're not even of the same species.

It's like using the saying: "A leopard can't change its spots."
Using such a metaphor shows an unwillingness to see any change – it shows a prejudice against such an occurrence. It shows a fixed and closed mind.

It's like the saying: "A bird and a fish may fall in love, but where would they build their nest?" Such a saying implies that people of two different skins colours or religions are not even of the same species - which is clearly a lie. It maginifies the differences because of a bias against 'mixed' relationships.

I've yet to find anyone to agree with me so far, but that doesn't mean I wrong.

photographs of black nurses from the 1950s/60s in the Cov & Warks area?

I've got some photographs of black nurses who I think are from the 1950s/60s in the Cov & Warks area.
However I've got no detail of the source, dates, locations of the pictures.
I've tried the RCN History of Nursing archives to no avail

I can forward the pics (by jpg attachment) to anyone who things they may be able to help provide some details

Many thanks

Senegalese French Army troops blamed for civilian massacres during WWII

In 1939 Jean Moulin (1899-1943) was appointed préfet of the Eure-et-Loir département. The Germans arrested him in June 1940 because he refused to sign a German document that wrongly blamed Senegalese French Army troops for civilian massacres.

I've been unable to find out any more about this incident OR if other such false blame was applied to black troops.

Any ideas?

Black American GIs in Falmouth & Bristol during WWII

Interesting 8min clip on BBC's Coast (on the Cornish coast) - presented by Neil Oliver.
Programme was transmitted end of July 2010 (I'd recorded it but just got round to watching it today)

Programme features:
1. Tony Warner - Black historian
2. John Stokely - son of an unknown black Gi and local Falmouth woman - but is trying to trace his father
3. Dora Cartie - Black Bristolian who also served during WWII and dated a black American GI

also posted by me to BASA JISCmail

Oxford Companion to Black British History: completed!

Sunday 4.45pm and I've just finished the book! In less than a week of hothousing myself on it.