Heritage group, Denny's organizing trip to coast

Spartanburg students are invited on a trip to Charleston, where they will see the Freedom Schooner Amistad and learn about the slave trade and its impact on America.

The excursion is part of the 2007-08 Amistad America's Atlantic Freedom Tour. A replica of the schooner will be in Charleston until May 27.

Denny's Corp. is working with the S.C. African American Heritage Commission Foundation to provide complimentary seats on a bus for the trip, scheduled from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. Students will have to pay $5 to tour the vessel.

"We want to give students and youth groups a chance to get more involved in their history," said Brenda Lee Pryce, a member of the heritage commission. "We are able to do that from a global standpoint in South Carolina with this tour. We hope some adults will get on the bus with the students and have discussions with them."

The General Assembly created the 15-member heritage commission in 1993 to identify and preserve black history in South Carolina.

The original La Amistad carried captured Africans into slavery. The slaves revolted in 1839 and battled through the United States courts for two years to get their freedom. Their story has been retold in several movies.

A replica of the ship is on an 18-month voyage that retraces the slave industry triangle and stops at ports that played a role in the slave trade. The freedom schooner will travel about 14,000 miles, giving thousands a chance to see it and learn about the contributions of slaves and the slave trade. "Confronting the Past - Transforming the Future" is the theme of the tour.

Charleston has a variety of activities planned for the ship before it sails to another port. The vessel will dock in New Haven, Conn. in June, Washington, D.C., and New York City in August, and Baltimore in September.

"We organized some field trips because we thought it was important for schoolchildren to see the Amistad," said Jannie Harriot, chairman of the heritage commission. "Most of the schools are going through PACT testing now and weren't planning any field trips. I understand why the schools aren't planning any field trips, but we needed to find a way to do it."

Pryce said she is thankful for the cooperation of April Kelly-Drummond, the senior manager of Diversity Affairs at Denny's, for helping with the project. Denny's also is providing refreshments.

"This is an exciting opportunity," said Debbie Atkins, Denny's spokeswoman. "Denny's is proud to be a part of it."

For more information about the field trip, call Pryce at 864-585-4736.
 

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