AMISTAD America, Inc. is a national, non-profit organization. We promote improved relationships between races and cultures by educating the public through common experiences and dialogue based on the lessons of freedom, justice perseverance, cooperation and leadership arising from the historic Amistad Incident of 1839, symbolized by the Freedom Schooner Amistad.
Happy New Year from the Amistad America team.
We wish everybody the best and we thank all the AAI supporters and friends who contributed to our success in 2006.
In February Amistad America's team was an important participant of a new exhibit at the Mystic Seaport Museum - "Black Hands, Blue Seas". The 2006 sailing season was a very important test for the ship, her crew and the supporting staff, empowering AAI to finally set the Freedom Schooner's course toward Africa in 2007. For the first time the Amistad became a sailing classroom for several groups of teenagers participating in the Sankofa Sail Program, starting in late spring. The highlight of the season was a visit to Halifax in Nova Scotia - synchronized with the local annual Africville celebrations. The Halifax Maritime Museum and the famous Bluenose dock served briefly (Aug 1st -Aug 10th) as the Nova Scotian home for the Freedom Schooner and a brand new traveling exhibit created in cooperation with the Mystic Seaport Museum. Sailing back to the US from Halifax on the Amistad became a great adventure and important life lesson for three young Nova-Scotians of African descent, as was documented in the CBC television documentary that aired nationally in Canada. A short time spent in the Amistad's homeport of New Haven allowed the schooner star in the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the New Haven - Freetown Sister Cities program on September 24th. The autumn brought Amistad into the Hudson River Valley with a series of succesfull port visits that left a significant trace in the media. Even Amistad veterans are constantly amazed at how vivid and meaningful people's reactions to the Freedom Schooner continue to be.
The official Flagship and Tall Ship Ambassador of Connecticut sailed many miles and visited many ports in 2006, promoting improved relationships between races and serving as a catalyst for open dialogue and cooperation within local communities.
The success of the 2006 season inspired the AAI team and its supporters to embark on the most ambitious voyage of the Freedom Schooner Amistad yet - The 2007 Atlantic Freedom Tour.
In the Media - News
Boston, MA - 1/3/2007
Bible with ties to Amistad was used for oath by Deval Patrick - the first African-American governor of Massachusetts.
Read more...
The 2007 AMISTAD America's Atlantic Freedom Tour
In the spring of 2007, Freedom Schooner Amistad will embark on its first transatlantic voyage joining international agencies and organizations in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Europe and West Africa as part of the international commemoration of a most significant milestone: the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade in the former British Empire.
The proposed voyage will retrace the infamous slave trade triangle that dominated maritime commerce for hundreds of years and will include visiting ports with significant ties to the history of the original trade and the social, political and cultural aspects of the African Diaspora engendered by the trade.
The Freedom Schooner Amistad serves as a profound symbol for all the groups and stakeholders striving to educate the public about the history of slavery and those attempting to achieve reconciliation and social healing. As such, it is hoped that Amistad’s visit can serve as an important symbol and reminder of the scope of that history.
The theme of the voyage is similar to that of many organizations involved in Wilberforce 2007 and embodies a common transformational aspiration:
Confronting the Past; Transforming the Future
Amistad will depart from New Haven, Connecticut on June 21st, 2007 and will sail to Shelburne and Halifax, Nova Scotia. These two Canadian communities have direct links to the British abolition movement and the founding of Freetown, Sierra Leone, the homeland of the original Amistad captives. From Halifax, the Amistad - with students from England, Canada and the United States onboard - will cross the North Atlantic and arrive in England for the commemoration events planned for August/September of 2007.
The 1807 Act abolishing the slave trade was the first major initiative that began the march towards the end of slavery; the Amistad Affair was the first American civil rights case won against chattel slavery. Moreover, both events are inextricably linked because the Act provided the legal foundation for the verdict granting the Amistad captives their freedom. (They had been illegally transported from Africa in violation of the ban). In other words, there exists a direct and tangible connection between the 1807 Act of the British Parliament and the emancipation of this small group of brave, proud and determined Africans who sought freedom at any cost.
As part of Wilberforce 2007, the arrival of this icon of freedom will strike a powerful and indelible impression for today’s diverse communities of Britain. Experience has shown, that the presence of the Freedom Schooner Amistad affords communities an unprecedented opportunity to confront the past with a story that can inspire and foster inter-racial dialogue and mutual understanding. The telling of the story of the captives from the burnished decks of this beautiful wooden schooner will help illustrate the profound importance and direct impact that the 1807 Act had on the struggle for freedom and restoration of human diginity.
Download the Atlantic Freedom Tour Brochure:
- version for electronic distribution - PDF (645kB)
- version for printing - hi-res - PDF (11.4MB)
Join The Amistad Atlantic Freedom Tour Crew
Amistad is now hiring for the 2007-2008 season. We are launching a new college level educational program - African American and maritime studies and are looking for talented crew who have an interest in the Amistad story. We are hiring immediately for a chief mate, and are primarily hiring mates and engineers for January through March (but deckhands please apply if interested), and for all positions March 2007 - September 2008.
For application details check JOIN THE 2007 CREW
