Finding Hope in the Legacy of the Clotilda: A Conversation with Darron Patterson

In this special rebroadcast from February 2022, Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham interview Darron Patterson, the president of the Clotilda Descendants Association, who shares the history of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to bring Africans to the United States. As a descendant of one of the survivors of the Clotilda, Patterson provides a unique perspective on the legacy of this tragic event, which began as a bet and resulted in the transportation of over 100 enslaved individuals from West Africa to Alabama in 1860. The Clotilda was then burned and sunk to conceal evidence of the illegal act. However, its discovery in 2019 reignited interest in the story and the plight of the enslaved individuals who were brought to America. Patterson discusses the revitalization efforts and hope for unity within the Clotilda Descendants Association and the community as a whole.