BPL Presents “The Last Slave Ship Survivor” Program on October 22
Birmingham, Ala.- In celebration of 2020 Family History Month, the Birmingham Public Library is hosting "The Last Slave Ship Survivor" beginning at noon on Thursday, October 22, on BPL Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BirminghamPublicLibrary/
Descendants of Matilda McCrear, a survivor of the last slave ship who lived until 1940, will tell the story of one African American family dating back to slavery. Johnny Crear of Selma, the 83-year-old grandson of the last known survivor of the transatlantic slave trade, learned of his Grandmother Matilda's story, including her fight for reparation compensation, thanks to research by Newcastle University UK expert Dr. Hannah Durkin.
Read more about Dr. Durkin's research that discovered "the last slave ship survivor" at this link https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/latest/2020/03/matildamccrear/
You can also learn more about Matilda McClure by clicking here https://www.history.com/news/last-slave-ship-survivor-matilda-maccrear
When she was just 2, Matilda McCrear and members of her family were captured by slave traders in West Africa and taken to the United States on the Clotilda, the last ship to transport enslaved Africans to the U.S when it docked in Mobile, Alabama in July 1860.
Learn more about the Clotilda and the AfricaTown community founded by former slaves in Mobile by clicking here https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/clotilda-last-known-slave-ship-arrive-us-found-180972177/
BPL’s 2020 Family History Month programs conclude with a Q&A with professional genealogist and author J. Mark Lowe on Friday, October 30, at 10:00 a.m. on the BPL Facebook page. The public is invited to join for the live discussion by Lowe, who specializes in original records and manuscripts throughout the South.
Use the link below to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctcu2rqDIqHtHVUem07hVpdCzSgwYJCnIB
For a list of other Family History Month programs BPL is holding during October, click below https://bplolinenews.blogspot.com/2020/10/bpl-family-history-month-programs.html
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