New Haven, CT -- As Americans celebrate the holiday of bounty and give thanks for their good fortune, a delegation spearheaded by the Amistad Committee, and including Christopher R. Cloud, President and CEO of AMISTAD America, Inc., will prepare for their upcoming visit to the African nation of Sierra Leone, one of the poorest countries in the world.

A nine-person delegation, organized by the Amistad Committee, Inc., will visit Sierra Leone from November 30th to December 8th. This is the fifth trip focused on establishing formal ties with the nation and providing much needed sources of sustainable economic growth for the people of Sierra Leone. The Amistad Committee and its allies have already funded the Amistad Friendship Tree Grove to replace the trees donated for the
construction of Freedom Schooner Amistad. An on-going initiative is the establishment of the community run Amistad Friendship Fisheries Project that would supply fish to 17 villages, with the surplus serving as a cash crop.

One of the major discussions taking place during this visit will focus on the proposal to restore Bunce Island. The restoration and preservation of this site will serve as an historic monument to an ignominious past. The island holds the remains of an English fort that was used as a collection area for people from various regions of Africa, destined for slavery in the United States. The delegation will meet with President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone and others to discuss the Bunce Island project and other initiatives focused on sustainable economic growth.

The history of Sierra Leone is inextricably tied to American history and the history of Connecticut. The West African nation was the home of the Amistad captives, from which they were kidnapped and sold to slave dealers. Today, a statue of Sengbe Pieh, the leader of the Sierra Leonean captives, stands in front of New Haven's City Hall, the very site at which the captives were jailed. Freedom Schooner Amistad, a re-creation of the vessel the captives seized, currently visits ports nationally and internationally as an ambassador for friendship and goodwill. It serves as a floating classroom, icon and monument to the millions of souls that were broken or lost as a result of the insidious Transatlantic Slave Trade. These are graphic reminders of the historic ties between the two nations.

AMISTAD America, Inc is a national, non-profit educational organization. We promote improved relationships between races and cultures by acknowledging our common experience and encouraging dialogue that is based on respect. The inherent lesson and legacies of freedom, justice, perseverance, cooperation and leadership arising from the historic Amistad Incident of 1839 are symbolized by the re-created Amistad. Freedom Schooner Amistad is Connecticut's Flagship and Tall Ship Ambassador and her home port is Long Wharf Pier in New Haven, CT. Please visit www.amistadamerica.org for more information.