A screening of the award-winning documentary about the descendants of the last known slave ship is followed by a Q&A with Joycelyn Davis of Clotilda Descendants Association and filmmaker Kern Jackson.
“Descendant” follows members of Africatown, a small community in Alabama, as they share their personal stories and community history as descendants of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to illegally transport human beings as cargo from Africa to America. The ship’s existence, a centuries-old open secret, is confirmed by a team of marine archeologists. The film explores implications of the Clotilda’s discovery for the descendants, who grapple with their heritage while claiming the power to shape their own destinies. "Descendant" received the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
Joycelyn Davis is the organizer of the "Spirit of our Ancestors Festival", a member of the Clotilda Descendants Association and has become the face of Africatown and the Clotilda Descendants. Joycelyn has been featured prominently in the Netflix documentary, Descendant. Photo Credit: Getty Images for Netflix/Arturo Holmes
Dr. Kern Jackson is the Director of the African American Studies Program. Specializes in African American and Southeastern United States folklore and oral narrative
Presented in partnership with Princeton’s Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES).