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Kern Jackson | Associate Professor

Director of the African American Studies Program. Specializes in African American and Southeastern United States folklore and oral narrative.

HUMB 276  |  460-6363  |  KEMjacks@southalabama.edu

Co-writer and co-producer of the documentary Descendant (dir. Margaret Brown, 2022).
 

Descendant follows members of Africatown, a small community in ³ÉÈË¿ì²¥, as they share their personal stories and community history as descendants of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to illegally transport human beings as cargo from Africa to America. The ship’s existence, a centuries-old open secret, is confirmed by a team of marine archeologists. The film explores implications of the Clotilda’s discovery for the descendants, who grapple with their heritage while claiming the power to shape their own destinies.  Descendant received the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.