On deck: Eve Southworth teaches the impact of slavery

Eve Southworth ’05

Being a history major at Connecticut College helped Eve Southworth ’05 chart the course for her summer.

She was a crew member of the Amistad — not the actual cargo ship that carried slaves and garnered international attention with the film of the same name, but a replica of the original that sails from port to port up and down the New England coast.

The crew teaches the story of a group of Africans who were seized from their homes to be sold as slaves, revolted at sea and eventually won their freedom as the result of a U.S. Supreme Court case in 1841. The Amistad was docked in New London harbor through out the ordeal.

Inspired by an internship at Mystic Seaport through the Williams-Mystic Maritime Studies Program and a bevy of CC history courses, Southworth sought out the opportunity to become part of the Amistad’s 10-member crew after graduation. She set sail in June and served as a deckhand educator, leading educational tours for the public and school groups to teach navigation techniques. She also explained the journey of the Amistad and its crew, as well as the ship’s historical role in the advancement of human rights.

“The U.S Supreme Court decision that awarded the Africans their freedom is seen as one of the most significant human rights cases in the country,” she said.

Southworth was well-prepared for her adventure. She developed a background in African history in courses taught by Professor Vincent Thompson and she also became an expert on New London. In Professor Lisa Wilson’s senior seminar on the former whaling city, she researched and wrote a 100-page thesis, “Drunken Sailors and Fallen Women: The New London Whaling Industry and Prostitution, 1820-1860.” It is available at the college library, New London County Historical Society and Mystic Seaport.

Southworth received Commencement honors from the history department for her honors study and quality of work.

Living on the Amistad for the summer took a little getting used to at first — Southworth admits to getting seasick once — but she had ample opportunity to get to shore with frequent port visits. The Amistad made stops in Martha’s Vineyard, Providence, New Haven, Mystic and New London, “my home away from home,” she said.

At CC, Southworth minored in art and also garnered a certificate in arts and technology from the Ammerman Center for Arts and Technology. Her academic courses and participation as a house senator in the Student Government Association helped her cultivate leadership skills and the ability to think creatively and analytically — necessities for her job on the Amistad, she said.

“It’s a lot of thinking on your feet and CC helped me be ready for that.”

Southworth hails from Framingham, Mass. With the Amistad about to dock for the season, she recently accepted a position that will take her to Juneau, Alaska. She will work for the Alaska Domestic Violence Network through the AmeriCorps VISTA program, which connects volunteers to nonprofit service organizations.