A Brief History of the Amistad 
and the UCC Connection

The Amistad was a slave ship, sized in 1839 by African captives, members of the Mendi tribe of Sierra Leone, who forced it to sail to the shores of Connecticut.

They were later freed from jail in New Haven by a U.S. Supreme Court decision and eventually returned to Africa.  During their incarceration, the Africans were befriended by people of faith, who raised money to clothe and feed them, and rallied to their legal aid.

These individuals whose Congregationalist legacy is now part of the United Church of Christ.  That original Amistad Committee continued to meet after the captives were freed and later evolved into the American Missionary Association, the first anti-slavery missionary association in the United States.  That association is still alive and well as part of the United Church of Christ under the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries.  

A replica of the Amistad serves as a floating classroom, its mission to shed light on such issues as slavery, freedom, cooperation, leadership, equality and human dignity.  The Amistad message also calls attention to the issues of racism, bigotry, greed, injustice, and intolerance, which are the causes of so much violence in the world today.

The United Church of Christ is a founding partner of the Amistad America Project and helps raise funds for its educational mission. 
Ken Evans

Our Local Connection

Ken Evans as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer with students in Sierra Leone

Ken Evans, a life-long church member, is an ardent supporter of the church's wider mission at home and around the world.

Ken served as a Peace Corps Volunteer teacher in Sierra Leone, West Africa, from 1969 to 1971.

Last summer he delivered a Sunday message-a story of connections involving Sierra Leone, the Amistad, and our church.

Links:

www.amistadamerica.org-The freedom schooner Amistad is the vision of AMISTAD America, Inc., a not-for-profit educational foundation created by Mystic Seaport, The Amistad Committee, Amistad Affiliates, the Connecticut Afro-American Historical Society and other interested individuals as a partnership to develop the Amistad project.

www.tulane.edu/~amistad-Amistad Research Center on the Tulane University campus. 
The Center is a manuscripts library for the study of ethnic history and culture and race relations in the United States. While the focus is national, the holdings are international in scope. Researchers who use these resources find information about social, economic, and political history that leads to new interpretations of history.

Hope for the Heart of Darkness?-Ken's Sunday message.