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Lorna Gail Woods, 70, is a fifth-generation resident of Africatown. Her great-great grandfather, Charles Lewis, was captured in West Africa and shipped to Alabama in 1860 aboard the Clotilda. ![]() |
Africatown’s founders were ostracised for their African accents, says Vernetta Hynson, a descendant of Pollee Allen. "That’s why they were so determined that their children have a good education. My grandmother had nine children, and they all went to college. It was education, education, education.” ![]() |
Navy veteran Gary Autrey, a Clotilda descendant, still lives in Lewis Quarters. Like much of Africatown, the small neighbourhood is surrounded by large industries—but it’s still home. ![]() |
Patricia Frazier carries the flag of Benin, the modern nation once ruled by the kingdom of Dahomey, who sold more than a hundred captives to the captain of the Clotilda. "If they find that ship, I think it will make people more aware of our history," says Frazier. "Sometimes you need something tangible to spur those memories." ![]() |