The Atlantic Slave Trade Institute was founded and developed as a way to allow all people to constructively engage in dialogue about slavery for the purpose of greater understanding and healing. As two worlds suffering from the history of slavery, we all, regardless of race, are still afflicted by its long-reaching legacy. ASTI hopes to provide a welcoming educational forum to encourage discussion and revelations about this aftermath. In addition, we hope to productively address race reconciliation and therefore move forward together with a greater understanding of each other and ourselves.

We offer educational field trips throughout Washington DC, West and East Africa, workshops, seminars, lecture series and conferences designed to constructively address slavery and its legacy: the history, culture, and lasting legacy both in Africa and the diaspora.

We invite any and all people interested in learning about slavery to join us during our international experiences or slavery tours in Washington, DC- especially k-12 students, undergrads, graduate students, scholars, professors and researchers. We offer several different courses and we can customize a trip or workshop based on your group’s needs. Simply contact us to discuss a customized program that more specifically meets the needs and interests of your group.

ASTI also seeks partnerships with school districts, government agencies and private-sector companies to promote and facilitate our workshops, lectures, seminars, etc. as we explore the impact of slavery on American society.

We here at ASTI strive to maintain excellent relationships with our partners throughout America and Africa. We have strengthened our relationships with several prominent scholars on slavery as well as the African Studies departments at many universities and non-profit organizations.

ASTI is in the process of renovating a property in Washington, DC that will serve as its new headquarters.  The new site will feature a state of the art library with over 10,000 volumes on Africa, African art and artifacts and a technologically advanced resource center designed to celebrate and promote awareness about slavery. In our nations capital, Washington DC, we encourage our visitors to look within themselves and the world around them as we seek to improve race relations, foster understanding and more harmoniously live with those around us.

For more information about ASTI, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

About our Founder                                                                                                    

As an internationally recognized activist and  educator who believes in the importance of race reconciliation and healing, Julius Gartrail Johnson felt a tremendous drive to raise awareness about the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade in general and slavery in particular.  For more than 10 years Julius has applied his skills, passion and resources to furthering education among adults and students about this important period in American history,  As a student of inter-faith religion and African studies, Julius believes in providing hands on field experiences to allow people to experience the history and significance of slavery first-hand. ASTI does this in two distinct ways: regular slavery tours in Washington, DC where participants are exposed to historcal sites and information about slavery and annual trips to West and East Africa where participants meet African scholars and visit real slave castles. 

Julius has broad experiences in international education programs, history and development programs throughout Africa, Asia and the Middle East, having travelled to more than 30 countries himself. Julius completed his graduate work at Yale University in the departement of  African Studies and is regualarly invited to speak about slavery throughout the United States and the world. 

All Americans, regardless of race, are suffering from the damaging legacy of slavery. Julius believe that through ASTI, its many participants can work together to confront slavery, thereby reconciling the differences among people to peacefully and productively confront slavery and its aftermath.

About Goree Island.

A small island of the coast of Dakar, Senegal’s capital city, Gorée Island seems at once the perfect trading point. Once the key to controlling trade in and out of Senegal, Gorée Island was a hub for trading animal hides, gum, ostrich feathers, wax, gold and – by far the most profitable – enslaved Africans.

It is estimated that between the 14th and 19th centuries, over 20 million enslaved Africans passed through Gorée Island as they were forced to leave their homes forever. Gorée Island is home to the Maison des Esclaves Museum (The Slave House Museum), which features the Door of No Return, a gateway which enslaved Africans passed through as they were pushed onto waiting ships that transported them to the West Indies and North America.

Now Gorée Island serves as an important pilgrimage destination: a place to reflect upon slavery’s brutal history, its aftermath and productive ways to navigate the future. Every year, thousands of African Americans visit this crucial place in order to pay their respects and honor their ancestors’ memories.

Now, a 15-minute ferry ride from Dakar, Gorée Island will serve as a strategic office for the Atlantic Slave Trade Institute, its cultural focal point as both a reminder of slavery’s appalling history as well as how we must work together to productively manage its legacy.

About Friends of ASTI

As ASTI continues to develop and grow, we look towards those who support our mission and purpose. Those who contribute to this important cause support not only the cost of sending a child to Africa, but also the work and accomplishments ASTI will undertake and achieve.

We have recently established a fundraising effort known as the Friends of ASTI, a fundraising, support network of those interested in helping us grow, expand and achieve the goals that we’ve outlined for ourselves. Members of the Friends of ASTI can take on fundraising projects, marketing strategies, help out on tours, volunteer during pre- departure workshops and initiate and develop special projects – whatever is necessary to help encourage the growth of ASTI. Our main focus at this time is completing the purchase of ASTI's new headquarters and renovation.

All donations made to ASTI are tax-deductible. To contribute, please click here.

Also, no interested visitor, particularly students should be reluctant to join us on a Washington DC slavery tour or trip to Africa due to financial worries. Despite our best efforts to make our programs as affordable as possible, we understand that it may be well out of reach for many. Please feel free to contact us directly to discuss possible avenues of scholarship and financial aid.