1619 Commemoration of the First Enslaved African Landing Ceremony August 26

The Fort Monroe Authority, National Park Service, Project 1619 and the city of Hampton, Virginia will celebrate the 1619 Commemoration of the First Enslaved African Landing Ceremony on August 26 at Fort Monroe. The keynote address will be given by Ric Murphy, educator, historian, lecturer and award-winning author of the highly-acclaimed Arrival of the First Africans in Virginia. The event will include African drumming, a libation ceremony and special presentation by K. Johnson Elementary School "Crimson Thunder" drumline.

In addition to the commemoration ceremony, there will be a series of events August 24-27 that will commemorate 404 years of African American history. The events reflect on the national and global significance of the 1619 landing of “20 and odd” enslaved Africans from West Central Africa and the contributions of Africans and their descendants to American society. This year’s theme is ‘Reconciliation and Healing from the Legacy of Slavery.’ The 1619 Commemoration of the First Enslaved African Landing events are free and open to the public.