Khadija Hussain Photo
Boom! Boom, ba boom boom boom! The sounds aboard the Amistad were not those of ship calls, but of drumbeats.
As people boarded the ship at a homecoming event, they picked up drums or maracas. They were told to make noise to embody the strength and passion that are the Amistad story.
For the first time in six months, the working replica of La Amistad returned home last week. The famous ship is on a summer-long tour of New England, and back in New Haven to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the symbolic uprising in 1839, when a group of African captives took control of their captors, and the original ship, which eventually ended up in the Long Island Sound and launched an historic civil-rights legal battle.
Now, a modest crew inhabits the ship, dealing with the maintenance jobs while at sea, and docking periodically to give tours and lessons on the historical event. Lorenzo Roberts, a deckhand, said that the crew may stay aboard the ship for months at a time, traveling. Before it returned here last week, the Amistad was in Maine, and before that, Nova Scotia.
“We were shooting a TV show,” Roberts said. “Look out for us on NBC’s Crossbones.”
The air below deck was pretty stuffy. Only a pantry, a tiny kitchen, and a few bunks lined the walls. There was a hammock; Roberts said it’s used only for “storing the veggies.” When a visitor remarked on the small size of their living area, Roberts replied that they were lucky with the space they have.
“This floor wouldn’t have been here when the captives were held down here, and nor would these bunks. The floors would just slope down into the hold— and imagine that with 53 other people, all in chains,” Roberts noted.
As well as giving history lessons on the Amistad, Roberts was selling souvenirs. The proceeds go towards the youth programs and teachings that the ship runs through Amistad America, an educational organization whose mission is to “teach the important lessons of history inherent in the Amistad incident of 1839.” As well as Amistad America, the crew is promoting Love146, a foundation working to end child trafficking and exploitation.
It had begun to rumble with thunder just as people started to trickle off the boat.
“We’ll be here all weekend,” Robert said with a laugh. “There’s a storm coming!” Up on deck, the crew was putting away drums and tambourines, as they prepared to hunker down for the rain.
“Come volunteer in a couple years.” Roberts called to some of the younger kids. “We’ll still be around!”