Cassandra Lewis’s path to citizenship in the African country of Benin began decades ago.
As the youngest of nine children, she grew up listening to her father recount stories that were not fantasy tales of slave ships and kingdoms, but real and harrowing memories passed down through generations. Her father, Johnny Lewis, had received them directly from his great‑grandfather, the famed Clotilda survivor and storyteller Kossola “Cudjo” Lewis, who instructed young Johnny to carry the stories forward.
“Johnny was with him there during the first 15 years of his life and he was able to tell his children,” said Lewis, 61, a fashion designer from Decatur, Ga. “He did exactly what Cudjo said.”
In May, the Lewis family’s lineage came full circle. Cassandra Lewis became the first descendant of the 110 enslaved Africans aboard the Clotilda to receive citizenship from the nation of Benin.
Read further: https://www.al.com/news/2026/07/from-africatown-to-benin-clotilda-heirs-historic-african-citizenship-honors-roots.html