Black History

1619 African Landing Memorial Plaza Dedicated At Fort Monroe, Virginia

Leaders and community members gathered at Fort Monroe to dedicate the African Landing Memorial Plaza, honoring the 1619 arrival of enslaved Africans and preserving a powerful chapter of Black history rooted in Virginia.
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Story and Photos By Randy Singleton

NJG Community Correspondent
HAMPTON

State, local, and international leaders gathered with hundreds of community members for a dedication ceremony of the African Landing Memorial Plaza at Fort Monroe on Friday (April 24). The plaza marks the landing place of the first enslaved Africans from Angola at Port Comfort (Hampton, VA) in 1619. This event set the stage for the beginning of the Transatlantic slave trade.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, Attorney General Jay Jones, and State Senator Mamie Locke were among the guest speakers. African drummers, faith and indigenous leaders, reenactors, and descendants of the Tucker family participated in the ceremonial program.

Tiles on the ground at the memorial point to Angola. Granite from Angola was used to build the memorial.

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