Please join the University of South Alabama for its next USA by the Bay Eastern Shore Speaker Series event to be held Thursday, Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m. The talk titled "Connecting Histories: The Alabama Gulf Coast to West Africa" will feature Dr. Kern Jackson, director of the African American Studies Program, and Dr. Joél Lewis Billingsley, vice president for Community Engagement. The two will discuss their recent journey to West Africa, which served as an opportunity to build upon the unique connection between Benin and Mobile, through the Clotilda. USA by the Bay is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and registration is required.
University of South Alabama students, faculty, and Mobile County community members embarked on a transformative journey in May 2024 to the nations of France, Togo, Ghana and Benin, where language, religion and culture intersected. The cohort was immersed in the vibrant cultural landscapes, offering first-hand experiences of African diasporic traditions, religious practices, and post-colonial identity. Jackson and Lewis Billingsley will share stories about their interactive coursework, field excursions and community engagement, which led to a deeper understanding of the dynamic forces shaping Africa’s past and present while broadening our global perspectives.
Jackson, a folklorist and assistant professor of English, is co-writer and co-producer of the documentary "Descendant," which earned a spot on the shortlist for an Oscar nomination and NAACP Image Award for outstanding documentary film. "Descendant" tells of the last known ship to carry enslaved Africans to the United States, the Clotilda, and follows the personal stories of its descendants and the history of the Africatown community north of downtown Mobile. The remains of the ship were discovered in 2019. “Descendant” won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: Creative Vision at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Netflix purchased its worldwide rights, and the film is now available on Netflix. Higher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, presented the film alongside Netflix.
Jackson traveled to Washington D.C. in 2023 to meet with members of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He also participated in a panel discussion and a film screening of the documentary at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History. He's received numerous requests to speak about the film and served as delegate at the 20th Annual Skoll World Forum in Oxford, United Kingdom.
Lewis Billingsley grew up listening to stories about the former enslaved Africans who started the Africatown community. For many years, Lewis Billingsley has also worked collaboratively with the community to share the life and legacy of the 110 enslaved West Africans who were brought illegally to America on the Clotilda. She continues to work on a documentary and teacher workshops with Kern Jackson and Ryan Noble, a professor at Spring Hill College. The projects were funded by the Alabama Humanities Foundation, Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood, National Endowment for the Humanities and many other generous donors.