The Discovery of Slave Ship Completes a Story
For years researchers have been searching for a missing piece to tell the story of slaves in the Americas. On May 31, The New York Times reported that a slave ship that sank in 1794 on it’s way back to Brazil was found. They were able to quickly determine that it was a slave ship because of the amount of ballast on the ship, iron ballast.
Documents found in 2011 at the Western Cape Archives Repository revealed that, “The ship hugged a shoreline to protect itself from strong winds, but was so close to land that it crashed into rocks, and approximately 212 slaves died.” Lonnie Bunch of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, held a ceremony for all those that died in the shipwreck.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum Of African American History and Culture is planned to open in Washington next year.
Nadia Cruz | IG: @_NadiaCruz | Twitter: @CruzNadia
