Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation

08/22/2026

Congratulations to the Africatown Community Initiative Awardees!

We are proud to celebrate these individuals and organizations whose projects are helping to preserve Africatown’s history, strengthen our community, honor our legacy, and build for future generations.

🏆 2026 Community Initiative Awardees & Projects

• Jason Lewis — Africatown Maroon Garden
• Erica Powell & Lister Portis — Union Baptist Church Museum
• Chandra Ledoux — Magazine Point Green Space Garden
• Shirley Ford — Africatown Wall of Fame
• Thelma Maiben-Owen — S.O.S. Saving the Seniors
• Pastor Willie Burns — Pine Grove AME Church Historical Marker
• Adrienne Brown & Father Victor Ingalls — Our Mother of Mercy
• Vernetta Henson — Africatown Gathering Recipes
• Patricia Frazier — Pedestal Marker: Kanko Dennison
• Madison Williams — Seed Library and Demonstration Garden
• Gail Atkinson, Ruth Bullard & Mrs. Gillette — Africatown Quilters
• Jocelyn Davis — Lewis Memorial
• Christopher Whitley — Mr. Isaiah J. Whitley Monument

👏🏾 A special thank you to Mrs. Chiquitta Clemons Howard, Project Manager, Princess Creative Productions for recording this special video, and Mr. Willie Davis of Davis Photography for helping capture this important moment in Africatown’s history.

Do you have an idea that can make a difference in Africatown?

Round 2 submissions open September 23, 2026! We encourage community members with projects that preserve our history, celebrate our culture, strengthen our neighborhoods, and invest in Africatown’s future to apply.

For more information, visit Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation.

Congratulations again to all of our awardees! Together, we preserve. We honor. We build.

08/20/2026

Sharing the Story of Africatown @
Come Join Us Tomorrow in Africatown

08/19/2026

What an incredible season! The Africatown Swim Program would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this program a success.

To our parents and families, thank you for trusting us with your children, encouraging them, and supporting them every step of the way.

To our amazing participants, we are so proud of you! Thank you for showing up, learning, growing, building confidence, and making a splash! 🌊

And to our community partners, thank you for investing your time, resources, and support into the Africatown community. Your partnership helps us provide opportunities that make a lasting difference in the lives of our young people.

It truly takes a community, and YOU made this possible!

From all of us at the Africatown Swim Program — THANK YOU! 💙

📸 Aaron Christopher!

08/14/2026

❤️🏊🏿❤️

A community pool may look different from Mobile Bay, but it can still be where a lifelong connection to water begins.

This summer, our environmental education team joined the Africatown Swim Program for two days of hands-on learning. Students painted oyster shells, explored how stormwater pollution moves through a watershed, created a plastic gyre in the pool, raced to remove marine debris, and learned how seagrass supports life along the coast.

Just as importantly, they spent time becoming more comfortable and confident in the water.

We are grateful to the Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation for continuing to offer this free program and for welcoming us back year after year. Thank you also to the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program and Introducing Youth to American Infrastructure, Inc. for partnering with us through Claim Your Waterways Day.

07/31/2026

🎉 You're invited to the Africatown Swim Program Culmination Ceremony! The Africatown Swim Program has been an incredible journey of learning, growth, confidence, and achievement—and now it's time to celebrate the hard work of our participants!

📅 Saturday, August 1
🕚 11:00 AM
🍽️ Lunch will be served
📍 Robert Hope Community Center 850 Edwards Street Mobile, AL

Come cheer on our young swimmers as they receive recognition for their accomplishments and celebrate this important milestone with their families, instructors, and community supporters. A heartfelt thank you to our instructors, volunteers, sponsors, parents, and community partners who helped make this program possible. Together, we're building confidence, teaching life-saving skills, and creating brighter futures—one swimmer at a time.

We look forward to celebrating with you!

07/24/2026

See you tomorrow!!!

Waterways Resource Day is here! Join us on Saturday, July 25th, 10am - 2pm at Kidd Park Pool (800 East St, Mobile, AL 36610) for a day of fun and learning.

Enjoy:
• Arts & Crafts
• Learn about local waterways resources
• Explore maritime job opportunities for adults

This event is presented by the Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation Swim Program and is fun for the whole family!

Special thanks to our sponsors: Black in Marine Science (BIMS), iyai (Introducing Youth to American Infrastructure), Mobile Baykeeper, and Mobile Parks and Recreation. Don't miss out! We hope to see you there.

07/23/2026

🍕❤️ A Heartfelt Thank You to Heavenly Pies Pizzeria! ❤️🍕

The Africatown Swim Program would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Heavenly Pies Pizzeria for generously providing our swimmers with hot, fresh, and delicious pizzas!

Your kindness and support helped fuel our young athletes after a fun-filled day in the pool, and we are truly grateful for your investment in our community. Partnerships like yours make a lasting impact and help create unforgettable experiences for our youth.

If you're looking for amazing pizza made with fresh ingredients, along with wings, salads, and more, be sure to support this outstanding Black-owned and Christian-owned local business!

📍 Heavenly Pies Pizzeria, LLC
2724 Old Shell Rd., Suite F
Mobile, AL 36607
(Next to New Shiloh, across from UMS-Wright)

📞 (251) 725-1953

🚗 Call-In • Pick-Up • Delivery
Available through Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Postmates

Please join us in saying THANK YOU to Heavenly Pies Pizzeria for being a true community partner! 🍕🏊🏾‍♀️🏊🏽‍♂️💙

07/22/2026

Waterways Resource Day is here! Claim Your Waterways Resource Day!

Join us on Saturday, July 25th, 10am - 2pm at Kidd Park Pool (800 East St, Mobile, AL 36610) for a day of fun and learning.

Enjoy:
• Arts & Crafts
• Learn about local waterways resources
• Explore maritime job opportunities for adults

This event is presented by the Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation Swim Program and is fun for the whole family!

Special thanks to our sponsors: Black in Marine Science (BIMS), iyai (Introducing Youth to American Infrastructure), Mobile Baykeeper, and Mobile Parks and Recreation. Don't miss out! We hope to see you there.

07/21/2026

Huge shoutout and heartfelt THANK YOU to MAMGA for sponsoring delicious snow cones for our youth participants! 🍧✨

We had an absolute blast this past Saturday, July 18th! Extra special thanks to Azalea Snow Cones for pulling up and keeping everyone cool, and to Photographer Aaron Christopher for capturing all the big smiles and special moments at the Africatown Swim Program. 📸🏊‍♂️

Community support makes all the difference! 💙