First Africans in Virginia Marker — Attraction in Hampton

I grew up in Hampton Roads. We went to a few weddings at the Chamberlain, when it was still a hotel; we all thought it was a beautiful place to have a wedding, outdoors in the gazebo looking out over the water. I moved away twenty years ago. I NEVER knew that slavery began RIGHT THERE, in my home town, in my backyard, a few hundred feet from where brides in frothy layers of tulle would eat slices of white cake with their new in laws. We could have walked to it in under three minutes, and I never knew it was there, and that those kidnapped African people were probably auctioned off right where the gazebo is right now. We took class field trips every year to the Jamestown settlement, or Yorktown, or to lumps of dirt out in the woods that had something to do with the Civil War. Some grades repeated field trips from previous grades. We never knew slavery began down the street. I honestly believed-as MOST PEOPLE IN HAMPTON ROADS also do-that slavery began in New England (sorry, Yankees, but yall did hang folks for witchcraft, so it was a good fit). I was an outstanding history student. Advanced placement, earned college credit for history before graduating high school. And I believed that slavery started somewhere near Boston until I was forty years old. Virginia: make it a larger marker. Take the schoolkids to see it. Tell them how slavery both started here and started to end (three black men, rowed across the water in the dead of night) here, in the same place, right where they live, in...

August 2022, I loved the invitation to visit this important Port Conformt or Fort Monroe. This month is a party month because it's my birthday month (20). I am an Afro-Brazilian immigrant on vacation here and the emotion is very strong! Brazil and USA, we are Afro-descendants and brothers of the black slavery of the African Diaspora. Africa, Angola and other countries on the African continent are part of our history. I am preparing a video about this special moment in my life to share with our brothers in the diaspora. Congratulations to the first black president Barack Obama for his historic recognition in creating this NATIONAL MONUMENT OF THE FIRST SLAVED AFRICANS IN THE UNITED STATES and congratulations also to Project 1619 for rescuing and valuing all this African-American history. My moment now is to take my ANCESTRAL DNA test.

SANKOFA!!

African Proverb - "Our pace...

Although I’m not a fan of how the words are construed on this historical placard, it is still a very nice addition. This is Point Comfort, indeed where the ship “White Lion” landed. The first Africans were indentured servants who did eventually receive their freedom- sort of as the sign mentions. It doesn’t mention how some of those ended up owning slaves themselves, but nevertheless I’m happy there’s finally a sign to tell about this history. There are also several temporary signs nearby that give an interpretation of a future African memorial/monument at this location, which will probably be pretty cool, so be sure to visit again after it has been built. Just another very interesting historical spot at...