Discovering Amistad was forced to move its program online during the pandemic, and that made it possible to open up the learning experience to students who otherwise would not have had the chance to participate.
The name Amistad, and the historic slave ship itself, are familiar to many people here in Connecticut.
Kai Perry is on the Discovering Amistad board of directors.
“I like to call the Amistad incident of 1839 the first human rights case ever in the United States because it was the first time that people of color were tried as human beings and not as property,” Perry said.
The story of the Amistad Africans is the inspiration for the “Discovering Amistad” program, which won one of NBC Connecticut's 2021 Project Innovation grants.
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While so much has changed since 1839, the program aims to change even more.
“They learn about the history of racial injustice in the United States, and then they’re armed and take that information to work on a group project,” Perry said. "Where they identify a problem in their communities, a social justice problem, and then come up with a solution."
Kaden Wooten first did the program two years ago, when she was a freshman at Hamden High School and the pandemic suddenly forced the Discovering Amistad program online.
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Both Wooten and Perry say moving the program online allowed students from anywhere to participate, and not just in Connecticut.
What first appeared to be a setback, turned out to increase Discovering Amistad’s diversity and inclusion as people from as far away as Puerto Rico joined the virtual sessions.
Last year, Wooten says she and a friend went to see the historic schooner in person.
“It was kind of emotional to see because realizing that so many people were brought on such a little vessel, with little to nothing, and they were all struggling together, it was kind of upsetting,” she said.
Whether online or in person, Perry says part of their mission is to inspire young people to see what they can do today to help create positive change.
“We want to be able to create a safe space for those conversations and for the young people,” Perry said. "Give them the tools they need to continue to carry the torch.”
That torch shines on through the students’ group projects, like a petition to introduce teaching black history in more North Carolina schools, where one of the online participants lived, or an interactive website making it easier to find and support black-owned small businesses in Connecticut in the span of just two weeks.
They’re changes made in the spirit of the Amistad Africans who came to Connecticut nearly 200 years ago.
NBC Connecticut's Project Innovation provides grants to local nonprofits using technology or innovative solutions to local issues. The application deadline is March 25.
For more information on Project Innovation and to find the application, click here.
