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Did you know that 110 men and women were illegally expelled from their home countries in 1860 and forced into labor after landing in Mobile, Alabama? Did you know that three years after gaining their freedom in 1865, they bought land, built their own school, church, established American citizenship and voted?

Viewers can learn more about the resilience of survivors from various tribes in Africa, who established Africatown, a mobile community, and their journey aboard the Clotilda ship when the National Geographic documentary, “Clotilda: The Last American Slave Ship “, airs February 7 at 9 p.m. CT

Jeremy Ellis, who graduated with a software engineering degree from Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering in 2003, is a sixth-generation descendant of two Clotilda survivors, Pollee and Rose Allen. He will co-narrate the documentary with other descendants, archaeologists and historians.

“I hope viewers learn what survivors endured and then achieved in the years following the Civil War,” said Ellis, a change management professional at Accenture in Atlanta. “For them to establish the community, Africatown, with a governing body, build schools and churches, and become American citizens is very inspiring. It is a story that we must continue to tell because it is part of American history.

The story is not about the Clotilda

The survivors were moved against their will when American shipbuilder/landowner Timothy Meaher and others invested funds to use Meaher’s ship, Clotilda, to smuggle them overseas, where they were forced at work. Commanded by William Foster, the Clotilda arrived at the port of Mobile on July 8, 1860, discharged its passengers and was burned to destroy the evidence.

The remains of the vessel, however, were discovered in the mud of the Mobile River in 2019. Its discovery has since been the subject of television documentaries and print media.

However, Ellis, who appeared on a CBS episode of 60 minutes, insists that the real story is not about the ship. It’s about people. His people.

After slavery was abolished in 1865, Ellis said survivors began working 12-hour days (one hour free) for $1 a day. Collectively, the amount was enough to eventually buy land, build houses, and found a community.

Eight years after their journey, some have become American citizens. Citizenship meant voting and three survivors went to the polls.

“They approached the polling place and when they got there, Timothy Meaher, who was the one who funded the trip, stopped them,” noted Ellis, who grew up in Mobile. “They were going to vote for the first time, but Timothy Meaher was there on horseback and he basically said, ‘No, they can’t vote here. They are Africans, not Americans.’ »

Ellis added that the survivors made their way to another polling station, but Meaher – on horseback – arrived first and stopped them.

“They were so determined to vote, all three of them rolled their eyes, they’re very spiritual people,” Ellis said. “In a third place, Meaher was not there. They were, however, obliged to pay a poll tax to vote, which represented a full day’s work. But they ended up paying that dollar and voting for the first time.

Less than 10 years after being enslaved in Africa, forced into a transatlantic voyage and forced to work on the plantations of southern Alabama, the survivors of Clotilda had established a community, had become citizens of a Western nation and had a political voice.

We need to do more

What are Africatown’s needs today? A lot, says Ellis.

“Africatown needs a lot of economic, educational, environmental, but also descendant support,” said Ellis, whose grandmother, Beatrice Ellis, was the last president of the Africatown Direct Descendants of Clotilda organization. “From Africatown’s perspective, there are a number of social, economic and environmental justices that need to be addressed by county and city officials.

“These things need to be done locally. From a state or federal perspective, the federal government should be very involved in this particular story around reconciliation, particularly reparations. I think that’s part of the story that needs to be discussed more.

“The injustices are that crimes have been committed by members of the Meaher, Foster and John Dabney families,” said Ellis, who remains actively involved in advancing Africatown through newspaper columns, multiple podcasts (including African Dreams in Alabama and Looking for Clotilde) and local organizations. “The Ministry of Justice needs to open these cases, based on the new evidence that has been found (Clotilda) and everything we have learned since the ship burned. It is good to know that we have this news At the federal level, it has to be investigated, go through the court process and hold everyone involved accountable.”

“Change is inevitable”

The story of Ellis’ descendants led him to high school in BC Rain, where his passion for technology helped him excel in math, science, and computer engineering and led him to the Auburn University.

At Auburn, Ellis became involved in the Minority Engineering Program, which serves to recruit, retain, and reward underrepresented students in all fields of engineering. Now known as the Academic Excellence Program, the AEP celebrates its 25th year.

“Engineering at Auburn has provided me with the critical analytical and decision-making skills that have placed me in an environment conducive to my love for continuous learning and co-creation,” he said. he declares. “I work in a center that thrives on change, and we are in a world where change is inevitable.

“Auburn gave me the opportunity to harness curiosity, but also the skills to think critically, understand algorithms, but also network and build lasting relationships. It’s still a place I love today. today.

Now that he’s finishing his 12th year at Accenture in Atlanta, it’s no wonder the changemaker at the community level is a changemaker within the industry.

“Accenture’s trademark phrase is ‘Let there be change,'” Ellis said. “It’s very ironic that, knowing my ancestry and looking at the work I do – guiding organizations through change – that’s the skill set I’m cut out for. From where my ancestors began to what they were able to accomplish…that DNA and their spirit lives within me.

“The more stories I learn about their resilience, the more it motivates and encourages me. It inspires me to be the best version of myself.

After premiering on February 7, the documentary will be available to Disney+ and Hulu subscribers.