Africatown Alabama: Rebuilding Homes Owned By Descendants Of Enslaved

HEART 9/11 brought a delegation of New Yorkers to Africatown, Alabama,

Photo: YouTube

New York and Alabama – Monday, nonprofit organization HEART 9/11 brought a delegation of New Yorkers to Africatown, Alabama, where they will spend several days this week rebuilding and renovating homes owned by descendants of enslaved West Africans.

The delegation includes New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, skilled firefighters, first responders, and building trades members, including members of Laborers’ Local 79.

Africatown, Alabama is the hometown of 1969 “Miracle Mets” team member Cleon Jones. The rebuilding of homes will be done in collaboration with Jones’ non-profit, The Last Out Community Foundation. Africatown is a historic community north of Mobile, formed by a group of West Africans who, in 1860, were bought and transported against their will in the last known illegal shipment of enslaved people to the United States.

Jones’ mission is to see his hometown of Africatown prosper for future generations.

“We service the community by painting houses, restoring houses. Since the storms (Hurricanes Sally and Zeta), we’ve had a lot of roof problems in which the storms blew the roof off,” said Jones.

“HEART 9/11 members are pleased that we can assist the descendants of the last slave ship to sail from Africa in the 1800s in restoring their homes and hope for a better future,” said William Keegan, Founder and President of HEART 9/11.

“After 9/11, many people from across the country came to New York City to help us rebuild. As construction laborers and New Yorkers, we’re proud to help Africatown residents rebuild,” said Mike Prohaska, Business Manager of Laborers’ Local 79.

One thought on “Africatown Alabama: Rebuilding Homes Owned By Descendants Of Enslaved

  1. I learned about Cleon Jones this morning, and his wonderful work in Africatown. I, also, am interested in community building, with my motivation being the fact that global warming is occurring, and now even accelerating. In this paper (A climate well-informed 83-year-old writes about dread and the Climate Change Emergency – Job One for Humanity) I suggest the idea of creating ecovillages. My reason for bringing the idea to your attention is that it fits in with what Mr. Jones is doing. Were you to incorporate this idea into what you are already doing, this could have important implications for the salvation (from extinction) of our species!

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