Souls at Sea

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In partnership with the Universal Sailing Club, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is proud to host the 11th annual Souls at Sea ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 24, starting at 1pm.

Drawing on African traditions, this is an on-water remembrance and libation ceremony honoring the millions of captive Africans who perished during the transatlantic crossing known as the Middle Passage. CBMM general admission guests are invited to join the land-based portion of the ceremony, which will be held on the Fogg’s Landing side of CBMM’s campus next to the Welcome Center.

Founded by Universal Sailing Club member Regina Hartfield in 2013 and presented annually by the Baltimore-based club, Souls at Sea honors the ancestors and ensures their lives are not forgotten. After stops around the Bay region, the powerful event came to CBMM and the Miles River for the first time last year to celebrate its 10^th anniversary, and now it is returning to begin its second decade.

Find more information about this edition of Souls at Sea at cbmm.org/SoulsatSea2024. It is generously sponsored by the Upper Shore Regional Folklife Center.

"The Universal Sailing Club and I are so excited to return to CBMM to share this moving and memorable event with guests," said Hartfield, an Eastern Shore resident. "As an on-water remembrance ceremony, Souls at Sea honors the ancestors and enables us all to remember and honor those we have lost in our own families. We acknowledge the history it represents, while spiritually, charting a course for a brighter future."

Souls at Sea begins on land with a ceremony featuring a blessing of the captains and boats as well as a drum, dance, and song performance from the African Legacy Cultural Arts Association. The festivities will be led by Iya Ogunfunmilola and her assistant Iya Oyaronti.

At last year’s event, the National African American Quilt Guild presented a special quilt, crafted by quilters across the country, commemorating the event’s 10th anniversary. This year, the quilt, featuring 14 ships that transported captive Africans as part of the slave trade, will be loaned to CBMM and showcased in its upcoming special exhibition Sailing to Freedom: The Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad that opens Sept. 27.

Afterward, CBMM’s guests will send off the Universal Sailing Club’s boats as they depart for the on-water ceremony. The club members will then raft up their vessels on the Miles River to continue their remembrance with a traditional libation ceremony, which is a ritual pouring of water as an offering to the lost souls.

For all involved, this is a meaningful day to highlight a dark period in history and remember the estimated two million-plus enslaved Africans who died making the voyage to the Americas over the roughly 350 years of the transatlantic human trade.

“We are honored to partner with Universal Sailing Club again for this special event,” CBMM’s Vice President of Education & Interpretation Jill Ferris said. “The club’s commitment to preserving the stories of their ancestors and honoring them with this incredible ceremony is inspiring, and we appreciate the opportunity to help share their important work.”