The City of Mobile will host a public meeting in Africatown on Thursday, April 6 to start gathering input from the community about the design of the future Africatown Welcome Center.
The meeting will be held at the Robert Hope Community Center on 850 Edwards Street beginning at 6 p.m. City leaders said it will be the first of many opportunities for members of the Africatown community and other Mobilians to provide input on the design of the Africatown Welcome Center.
Africatown is a historic community located near downtown Mobile. It was formed by a group of West Africans, who in 1860 were bought and transported against their will in the last known illegal shipment of slaves to the United States
Keysha Brown is the director of community affairs and liaison for Africatown. She said the welcome center will serve as a central hub for future historical and cultural tourism sites.
“The purpose of the welcoming center is for when tours are coming. They wanted to be able to have a place where they can go and have information about Africatown," she explained. "And have a way for people to actually have access to the cemetery and walk over and have information from there as well.”
This initial public meeting on Thursday will be focused on broad design concepts, such as form, flow, architecture and environment. Consultants will be on hand to demonstrate various concepts and options and take feedback from the public about what the Africatown Welcome Center should look and feel like. City leaders and the design team will hold a brief presentation before shifting to an open-house format.
Mayor Sandy Stimpson and Councilman William Carroll will attend the meeting to welcome stakeholders and community members as we start this collaborative process together. As the design work continues, designer Mott MacDonald and its sub-consultants will create design alternatives based on the community's input. That's why it's essential that the community is engaged throughout the process.
