For Immediate Release
Amistad Atlantic Freedom Tour launched by
Great Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister
Five British Students to Join American Counterparts on Ship
London UK - Great Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott today announced the launch of the Amistad Atlantic Freedom Tour-- an epic 18-month transatlantic voyage commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the
United Kingdom and next year in the
United States. He also presented 5 British students representing each of the ports the Amistad will visit while in the
United Kingdom.
The Freedom Schooner Amistad- the Vessel for Change—is a replica of the original ship that was commandeered by its African captives in 1839. It will depart from its home
port of
New Haven,
Connecticut on June 21st and retrace the infamous slave industry triangle.
The Deputy Prime Minister, a former seaman, said goodbye and bon voyage to young people from the former slave ports of
London,
Liverpool and
Bristol who were introduced as part of the Amistad’s student-crew at the official launch at Admiralty House in
London.
The students are:
Michael Simon, 19, from Toxteth,
Liverpool
Imogen Ashfield, 17, from Eltham,
London
Saphra Ross, 20 from
Bristol
Chantelle Wright, 21, from
Bristol
Nadia Waithe, 22, from
Bristol
These students will join their American counterparts and the crew of Amistad for two weeks of maritime training in
Connecticut, and then will embark on the 4,000 mile trip across the
Atlantic to the
UK on
June 21 2007.
After a layover in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Amistad and its crew will arrive in London in early August before sailing to Liverpool for the opening of the International Slavery Museum and then on to Bristol before resuming its voyage. It will then proceed to
Lisbon,
Madeira,
Dakar, and Freetown Sierra Leone. Amistad will return to the
United States in 2008 via
Barbados,
Puerto Rico and
Bermuda.
Ten college students from the
UK and the
US will augment the crew of the Freedom Schooner Amistad when it sets sail from
New Haven. A total of 50 students from countries around the
Atlantic
Basin will participate in the program over the next 18 months. They will be linked with students of all ages in shore side schools who will follow the curriculum with age-appropriate studies and live webcasts. Several million students in all are expected to participate via internet and satellite technology.
Midway through its 14,000 mile journey, the schooner will sail into the
harbour of
Freetown,
Sierra Leone, the original West African homeland of many of the Amistad captives. This symbolic “homecoming” will be a landmark event during the tour and will involve church and non-governmental organizations, as well as the governments of
Britain, the
United States and representatives from the United Nations.
It is then expected to arrive in
Charleston,
South Carolina in Spring of 2008 and visit ports along the US East Coast to mark
America’s 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.
The Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott MP, said: “I am proud that young people from the former slave ports of
Bristol,
Liverpool and
London will play a part in this historic tour, spreading tolerance and respect across the world.
“I sailed across the
Atlantic many times as a seaman, but only on liners. I have great respect for what these young people are about to do and I wish them a safe journey and a fantastic voyage.
“The Amistad incident is a truly inspiring story which rightly holds a significant place in the history of the struggle to end the barbaric trade in human beings.”
AMISTAD America, Inc. is an American educational charity that promotes improved relationships between races and cultures through its unique educational programmes.
Throughout the tour, the crew and students on board the Amistad will transmit text, images and video from the schooner back to classrooms and participating museums which are located in ports-of-call along the route of the tour.
AMISTAD America Chairman William Minter said “We are pleased by the enthusiastic participation of British students on Amistad’s Atlantic Freedom Tour. This tour will link several million students of all ages, and it is significant that
Britain play a lead role.”
Michael Simon said of joining the Amistad crew: “My family come from
Sierra Leone,
Guyana,
Antigua and
Trinidad - many various locations in which the Africa Diaspora was spread and my original western roots were laid.
“I hope to play a full and integral role on the Amistad and build upon my skills and previous experience of working in a team environment. The part that I find
most exciting would be the opportunity and the experience of working alongside my peers from across this country and the
USA.”
Imogen Ashfield added: “I have briefly studied the triangular trade, a part of history I have only read from a school textbook. It’s going to be an incredible journey, both physically and mentally to see this subject virtually brought to life.”
Saphra Ross added: “Participating in this voyage will be an opportunity of a lifetime. “Being on the ship will provide a feel of what slavery was like and help to further understand what it was like for our ancestors. I think it is a brilliant way to allow our history to live on through generations as those who take part, pass on the invaluable knowledge that is learnt.”
The students will fly to the
United States courtesy of Delta Air Lines, the official airline of Amistad ‘s Atlantic Freedom Tour.
To find out more about the Atlantic Freedom Tour, visit: www.amistadamerica.org.
--- Ends ---
For further information, photography or to arrange interviews with any of the crew, please contact:
In the
UK: Katharine Preece
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on 0207 299 8778 or mobile 07974 089006
Outside the
UK: Mary Coates
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001 203 858 3148
Notes to Editor:
1. Amistad America, Inc. is a national, non-profit educational organisation that promotes improved relationships between races and cultures and strives to educate the public on a unique and relevant event in
U.S. history through their educational programme
2. Amistad America, Inc., was created as a consortium between Mystic Seaport, the Connecticut Afro-American Historical Society, the Amistad Committee of
New Haven, Amistad Affiliates of New York and other interested individuals working in partnership to promote the Amistad project.
3. In 1839, 53 Africans were kidnapped from
West Africa and sold into the transatlantic slave trade. Shackled aboard the Portuguese slave vessel Tecora, the 49 men and four children (three girls and a boy) were brought to
Havana,
Cuba, where they were fraudulently classified as native, Cuban-born slaves. Purchased illegally by Spanish planters Jose Ruiz and Pedro Montez, they were transferred to the schooner Amistad for transport to another part of the island. Three days into the journey, led by a 25-year-old Mende rice farmer named Sengbe Pieh, or “Cinque” to his Spanish captors, the Africans seized the ship, killed the captain and the cook, and ordered the planters to sail to
Africa. After 63 days, La Amistad and her “cargo” were seized as salvage by the USS Washington near
Montauk Point,
Long Island, and towed to
New London harbor. The Africans were held in a
New Haven jail on charges of murder. The case took on historic proportions when former President John Quincy Adams successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court on behalf of the captives. In 1841, the 35 surviving Africans were returned to
Africa
4. Key dates of the tour
June 21st Departs
New Haven,
CT,
US
June 27 - July 2nd
Halifax,
NS,
Canada
Aug 1st – 12th
London,
UK
Aug 20th – Aug 26th
Liverpool,
UK
August 23rd UNESCO Slavery Remembrance Day
August 29th – Sept 6th
Bristol,
UK
Sept onward Lisbon, Portugal; Madeira Islands; Dakar,Senegal;
Freetown, Sierra Leone;Barbados; Puerto Rico;
Bermuda; Charleston SC; Hampton Roads,VA,
Washington, DC; Baltimore, New York, New Haven..
5. The international voyage will retrace the infamous slave industry triangle with stops at more than a dozen Atlantic ports that played a significant role in the trade and reflect today’s social, political and cultural character. Ports of call include Halifax, Nova Scotia; London, Liverpool and Bristol; Lisbon and Madeira, Portugal; Canary Islands; Dakar, Senegal; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Praia, Cape Verde; Barbados; Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the east coast of the United States.
6. Delta Air Lines is an official sponsor of the Amistad Atlantic Freedom Tour.
