Book discussion planned
COLUMBUS — The Columbus Public Library, 223 W. James St., Columbus, will host a hybrid, in-person and virtual discussion of “The Last Slave Ship” by Ben Raines at 5 p.m. June 2.
The ship, named the Clotilda, was the last ship in history to transport enslaved Africans to the United State in 1860. This was more than 50 years after the U.S. outlawed the Atlantic slave trade. The ship was burned on arrival in Alabama to hide evidence of the crime. The wreckage of the Clotilda was discovered by the author in 2019, after extensive searching through the swamps of Alabama.
The story of the Clotilda, was featured on PBS’s “Finding Your Roots” when musician and producer Questlove traced his ancestry back to enslaved people who arrived in the U.S. on the Clotilda.
The discussion will also touch on a companion book, “Barracoon” by Zora Neale Thurston. “Barracoon” features the story of the last survivor from Clotilda, Cudjo Lewis, whom Thurston interviewed in 1927. Both books are available for checkout at the library.
People are also reading…
Registration not required for in-person attendance, but is needed to attend via Zoom at columbuspubliclibrary.info and Facebook at facebook.com/colpublib.
For more information, call Catherine at the library, 920-623-5910.
