Urban Calls for Accounting of Amistad America Funds

State Rep. Diana Urban, D-Stonington, wants transparency when it comes to Connecticut taxpayers’ money and her latest mission is to uncover how $8 million of state funds were used by Amistad America over the past 13 years. 

Urban has recently demanded that the state Department of Economic and Community Development confirm that the state funds are working before sending the organization next year’s $359,000 payment, according to a report in The Day. 

The Mystic Seaport built the ship and the boat is dear to Mystic residents who watched the vessel open its sails for the first time. The report says that the organization’s mission is to “sail to the schooner to ports around the country to tell the story of the slaves aboard the original Amistad who won their freedom in 1839, but those trips no longer occur.” 

Urban told reporters at The Day that she will ask state auditors to investigate if “the DECD does not provide a more detailed accounting of how Amistad America has spent the state money. 

According to another report in The Day, the organization has lost its tax-exempt status and money trouble is the reason why they no longer have an office in the state of Connecticut or a website. In fact, the boat is now being used by a sail training organization in Maine rather than the educational purposes originally intended.  

Urban said the Mystic Seaport would be a good place to keep the boat, at least that way she could trust that it was being properly taken care of. 

Click here to read the full report in The Day.