(S1E4) 12 Million Souls: The Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project

This episode centers on the Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project, based in Jacksonville, Florida. Founded in 2011, the project honors the memory of two million Africans who perished during the transatlantic crossing and the ten million who survived to shape the Americas—through the placement of historical markers and public ceremonies of remembrance across the United States.

Founder and Program Director Ann Chinn joins me for a conversation about how her spiritual experiences in Brazil and encounters with African diasporic traditions helped shape her path. We discuss Indigenous-Afrodescendant relationships, the emotional and spiritual labor of stewarding memory across time and place, and her reflections on aging, legacy, and passing the torch in grassroots preservation work. Join us as we explore the question: What does it mean to honor and carry the memory of 12 million souls?

bghpn.org / middlepassageproject.com