Souls at Sea Ceremony

In partnership with the Universal Sailing Club, CBMM is hosting 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 ancestors lost during the Middle Passage. The public is 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.

This piece of the annual remembrance ritual honoring the millions of captive Africans who perished during the transatlantic crossing known as the Middle Passage features a blessing of the captains and boats as well as a drum, dance, and song performance from the African Legacy Cultural Arts Association. Guests will then send off the vessels as they depart for the on-water ceremony on the Miles River.

At last year’s event, the National African American Quilt Guild presented a special quilt, crafted by quilters across the country, commemorating Souls at Sea’s 10th anniversary, and 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.

This event is generously sponsored by the Upper Shore Regional Folklife Center.

Souls at Sea ceremony
Date/Time: Saturday, Aug. 24, 1pm
Location: Fogg’s Landing
Cost: Free for general admission guests