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NEW HAVEN (01/24/2007) -- On June 21, 2007, the schooner Amistad will set sail from New Haven on the eighteen month "Atlantic Freedom Tour." Under the banner "Confronting the Past; Transforming the Present," the vessel will visit England to help commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the former British Empire. It will then travel to West Africa and Sierra Leone, homeland of the Amistad captives of 1839.
Churches can be part of this historic event by sponsoring a day of the voyage. The cost to sponsor a day is $2,500; multiple congregations can join together in sponsoring a day to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Sponsoring pastors will write a message reflecting on the Amistad's commitments which will be posted on the Amistad America web site that day, along with acknowledgement of that church's support.
The Congregational forebears of Connecticut's UCC churches played a pivotal role in advocating for the Amistad captives, supporting them throughout the first human rights trial in the United States, helping to secure their freedom and funding their journey home. Their struggle for freedom and against slavery changed the course of U.S. history.
For more information, call the Connecticut Conference at 860.233.5564 or toll free at 866.367.2822.
