Our Mission
Our mission is to no longer sit as passive bystanders, but to become active participants in the telling of our family's story and utilize this platform as an opportunity to revitalize Africatown back to it's prime. In the height of Africatown's history there were more than 12,000 residents with striving businesses and educational systems. Now to date there are a meager 3,000 residents living in depraved conditions, with many of the lowest rated schools in the state. The residents of Africatown, our family, are crying out for release of their modern day enslavement and we the descendants of Cudjo Lewis Inc, are going back to answer the call of Cudjo and the souls of the Clotilde in order to reinstate ownership, development, and independence. The once thriving Africatown is now dilapidated. As citizens we can pool our efforts and resources and rejuvenate the formerly booming Africatown community, who during a time of great injustice, served as a beacon of hope and connectedness for a people ripped from all they knew and cherished.
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Cudjo was a slave in life and now in death. How long must he and his descendants repay a debt that was never theirs to own. Our belief is that sometimes you just have to do the right thing...Principles matter.
Family
Garry Lumbers
President
Garry Lumbers is the great great grandson of the late great Cudjo Lewis. Garry's mission as president of the Direct Descendants of Cudjo Lewis, a non-profit Organization, is meant to bring awareness to Cudjo Lewis and to bring life and prosperity back to the legacy of Africatown. Garry has championed the mission of his ancestor for the past 2 years and has lived his story his entire life. Garry's grandmother Angelia Lewis Carson used to tell him stories about his ancestor and the legacy he carried with him. Also he knew it was his responsibility to teach and share the journey and tragedy of his great great grandfather with his family and now the world.
Altevese Rosario, M. Ed
Treasurer
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Altevese Lumbers-Rosario is the great great great granddaughter of Cudjo Kazoola Lewis. Her mission as a direct descendent and educator is to bring further awareness to the life, mission, and legacy of her most famed ancestor. For many years Altevese has worked as an advocate for the forgotten and underserved through education and social service. Now as the treasurer of this prestigious non profit organization she will continue to advocate and bring attention to the lives of the Africatown community through the oversight of financial resources to be poured back into her beloved Africatown community.
Ralphema Lumbers
Secretary
Ralphema Lumbers is the great great great granddaughter of Cudjo Kazoola Lewis. As a life-long resident of the area Ralphema sees daily the destruction of her beloved Africatown and works behind the scenes to collaborate with stakeholders to uplift and rebuild her family's birth right...day by day, brick by brick. As the secretary of the Direct Descendants of Cudjo Lewis Ralphema will continue to work tirelessly to ensure the maintenance of this great organization's level of accountability to its community and all stakeholders involved in the revitalization of Africatown.