Commemoration at Fort Monroe draws thousands to honor first Africans’ legacy
A parade of speakers delivered inspired messages and calls for change Saturday to launch Fort Monroe’s commemoration ceremony honoring the first Africans’ arrival to Virginia in 1619.
Most remarks from nearly a dozen elected officials echoed themes about the first “20 and Odd,” who were traded for provisions after landing at Point Comfort; of lineage and descendants, of the origins of representative democracy and acknowledging four centuries of African American contributions, despite odds against them.
One of the most powerful messages came from the youngest speaker, who received a rousing ovation.
“There is also another way that we can give back to our community,” said Brycen Didly, an 11-yearold student at Larkspur Middle School in Virginia Beach. “We can simply start with how we treat one another. Are you kind to others daily? I challenge you to let today also be a celebration of your commitment to become a more caring and kind individual.”
About 2,000 people went to Fort Monroe for African Landing Day, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first Africans to English-speaking North America.
Those first generations of Africans who arrived unwittingly aboard the “White Lion,” landed
at Old Point Comfort late August 1619. The vessel brought only its crew and “20 and Odd” Africans, as recorded by colonist John Rolfe.
They came from Angola with skills and trades and saved a struggling colony. But the newly formed representative democracy at Jamestown did not represent those Africans then or during the centuries of slavery that followed, Gov. Ralph Northam told attendees. Nor were those African Americans represented during a century worth of reconstruction after the Civil War, or during Jim Crow era of terror. It’s a government that struggles even today to represent them, he said.
“That system did not represent all the people who arrived at Point Comfort … with skin color that did not look like mine,” Northam said. “How do we tell the full story of our past 400 years? How do we do so with honor and dignity for people whose honor and dignity has been taken away?”
The day was filled with drums, ancestral bells, reunions, tears, cheers and solemn speeches and calls for change from many elected officials who spoke.
Several members from Virginia’s legislative ranks made remarks, including Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax. Del. M. Kirkland Cox, Rep. Elaine Laurie, Rep. Robert “Bobby” C. Scott, Sen. Mamie Locke, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Tim Kaine, and even Rep. Karen Bass, who came in from California. Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck also gave remarks.
“We are faced with the conflict between our high-minded principles and the realities we sinful humans often accept or even perpetrate,” Kaine told the attendees. “… It’s on each of us to understand our nation’s history and ‘direct the change’ toward a better future. And we can’t do this silently from the sidelines.”
Some officials said black history is America’s history and it’s time to correct the narrative by teaching the full history of those first Africans who arrived in 1619.
Northam also admitted to the audience he had to confront his own lack of understanding about race and equity.
“If we are truly going to right the wrongs about four centuries of history … we have to start with ourselves,” he said.
Anthony Van Jones, a television host and environmental activist who served during the Obama administration, delivered the key note. He reminded the audience that it’s equally important to prepare for the next 400 years, by understanding other areas where African Americans can make contributions.
“There are four centers of power in our country,” Jones said, noting two are finance and technology.
Jones said African Americans have made strides in law and politics, with contributions to society, but the next horizon of growth needs to be the areas of technology, genetic engineering and artificial intelligence.
“Black ethics and excellence can make a difference,” Jones said.
James P. Moran, chairman of the Fort Monroe Authority, also spoke of the injustices.
As he went through the history of early Virginia, he reflected on the Native Americans, the fledgling Virginia colony and the three men — Frank Baker, Shepard Mallory and James Townsend — who sought asylum at Fort Monroe in 1861.
He also reminded the audience of the recent removal of letters off a wrought iron arch located on the ramparts at the fort, which once celebrated the president of the Confederacy. Attendees, some of whom traveled thousands of miles to be there, said the trip had been worth it.
“We get to commemorate the part of history no one is learning,” said Betty Sawyer, of Ogden, Utah.
Sawyer, who wore traditional African attire, added later that along with the schools, the responsibility of learning history falls on individuals.
“You educate yourself, you educate your friends and family, you educate your community and that leads to policy and legislative actions,” she said.
Many attendees camped out on the grass in lawn chair, while being serenaded by the I.C. Norcom High School Choir, from Portsmouth, who gave a melodic rendition of ‘Stand by Me,’ sang and ended the program with ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing.’
After the morning ceremony, a parade of African flags formed, and event organizers invited attendees to gather behind whichever flag they wanted to represent. The parade didn’t go far. A crowd formed a circle around the drummers — all decked out in brightly-colored, patterned attire — at the front of the procession, which ended up becoming a mini concert, complete with admirers straining to get videos on their smartphones.
The drums, each with a different timbre to create a thumping melody that rang across the island, made for a vibrant environment that brought on the celebratory part of the commemoration weekend.
The drumming continued into the afternoon as various performers took the stage.
Dance groups and some individuals who hopped in to participate entertained the crowd with an improvised show-and-tell type performance, taking turns showing off their moves, beaming as they drew big circles with their arms and bobbed their bodies up and down.
Later in the afternoon, the drums signaled a more solemn occasion as they led attendees to the fishing pier to cast flower petals into the ocean in honor of the millions who died on the middle passage.
Brenda Hill said she appreciated the overall 1619 experience, saying it was enlightening and deepened her appreciation for her own family history.
Hill has roots in Surry County, and family lore and her genealogy research indicate connections to original Africans sold into slavery in Jamestown.
She was glad to hear officials embrace diversity, saying she felt empowered by all the energy behind the commemoration and the comments delivered. Hill said there’s a need to continue communicating the story of American slavery.
Andrew Holloway took a large handful of petals and handed them out at the pier.
“I thought about the folks in the past who had a hard life … and how they survived and worked together,” Holloway said, reflecting on dropping the petals into the water.
Holloway grew up in Africatown in Alabama, a place founded by a group of West Africans brought to the U.S. on the last known illegal slave ship that came to the country.
There, Holloway said, the community is having a similar commemoration, an important endeavor to educating the public about slavery and correct misinformation and misconceptions that still persist.
The commemoration continues Sunday with the National Park Service’s day of healing. At 3 p.m., hundreds gathered will ring bells continuously for four minutes, with each minute representing 100 years, to mark the 400th anniversary of that arrival as a solemn opportunity for healing and reconciliation.