Africatown Heritage House is hosting its July 2025 Heritage Lecture Series event, a collection of speeches designed to touch on topics related to the Black experience.
The July lecture will feature Africatown community activist, Lister Porter, who will speak on the triumphs of the Africatown community. His topic is Africatown’s ACDC: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The Africatown Community Development Commission (ACDC) has been at the forefront of various causes and has helped to move the historical district forward.
Lister Portis, a native and lifelong resident of Magazine Point in the heart of the Africatown community, is a proud product of the tutelage and instruction of Whitley Elementary and Mobile County Training Schools. Portis became an activist in the Plateau community after graduating from C.F. Vigor High School and joining forces with Africatown leaders to make a difference in the historical town that has now garnered national attention. He earned both his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Troy State University.
As a committed community activist, Lister Portis has worked for decades to maintain and preserve the historical heritage and character of Africatown. Portis serves as the Exhalted Ruler of the Shell Bayou Elks Lodge #361 where community gatherings have been hosted for decades. He’s also a member of the Plateau Masonic Lodge #115 and chairman of the Trustee Board at Union Baptist Church.
Lister is deeply committed to activism in his community as an active member of the Africatown Community Development Commission. In this role, he works alongside longtime community members to improve standards in Africatown. His life embodies the guiding principle: “I am my brother’s keeper until he is able to keep himself.”
The Africatown community remains devoted to development, education, restoration, preservation, and responsible management—all driven by a shared commitment to honoring its legacy.
DATE/TIME: Thursday, July 17, 2025 | 5:30pm
The History Museum of Mobile and Africatown Heritage House invite the public to attend this FREE Heritage Lecture Series.
Capacity is limited and guests are required to RSVP to attend by calling (251) 206-5268.
For more information on the Heritage Lecture Series, contact Jessica Fairley, Africatown Heritage House Manager, by email at
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