Cudjo Lewis, the last surviving captive of the last slave ship to bring Africans to the U.S.Â
https://www.history.com/news/zora-neale-hurston-barracoon-slave-clotilda-survivor?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#link_time=1525373347
Itâs so significant too that this narrative was collected by Zora Neale Hurston, one of the greatest authors and anthropologists of her time. She was shunned by the âgatekeepersâ of both of these professions, largely because of her Blackness, her womanhood, and her uncompromising commitment to honoring and showcasing both in her works. She died penniless and alone in a state-run institution in 1960. All of her works had gone out of publication by then. It took more than a decade before she was rediscovered. A young author by the name of Alice Walker had come across her work and was deeply inspired by it. âIn 1973, after an exhaustive search, Walker came across Hurstonâs unmarked grave in Ft. Pierce, Fla. She purchased a headstone for Hurstonâs tomb and had it inscribed âA Genius of the South.ââ
It is through Zora Neale Hurstonâs pioneering sacrifice, and the acceptance of that inheritance by Alice Walker that we have found this missing piece of our history. Without the courageous and unfailing work of Black women, we wouldnât have Cudjo Lewisâs story. We are slowly regaining a narrative thatâs been hidden from us, one that continues to be lied about. Trust Black women to lead the way.
