The African Landing Memorial is a new Virginia memorial that pays homage to the first enslaved Africans who were forced into the state.
Community members in Hampton, Virginia, were joined by state leaders to dedicate the African Landing Memorial Plaza. The site now marks where the first documented enslaved Africans were brought to Virginia over 400 years ago, 13 News Now reports.
Africans who were taken from Luanda, Angola, first arrived at what has been identified as the original site of Point Comfort in 1619. According to reports, the ship São João Bautista was used to carry hundreds across the Atlantic. It is a
painful reminder of the violence used to shape the nation’s history, but one that must be recognized in order to deepen the understanding of the effect that slavery had and still has on this country today.“It’s often said that you need story more than food to survive,” said Fort Monroe Authority CEO Scott Martin during the dedication event on April 24. “The descendants are with us today, the story is with us today… and when you sit out here at sunrise or sunset, you watch the land speak to you.”
The plaza is inspired by the Sankofa symbol, which represents the philosophy of learning from the past to build a successful future, and it took $9 million to build.
It is a pedestrian-only plaza that features Angolan granite and design elements.Wanda Tucker has traced her lineage to Isabella and Antony, two of the first enslaved Africans documented in Virginia, and to their child, William Tucker.
“Very rarely am I speechless, but this one feels so deep,” said Tucker. “There’s a history here as to how Angolans first arrived and all the 400-plus years of history, construction of American history, that we have brought since the beginning. I don’t want that to be missed in any way.”
Tucker and her family partnered with the Fort Monroe Authority and the Fort Monroe National Monument to offer insight on the development of the memorial.
As a state leader, Governor Abigail Spanberger vowed to provide the necessary support to raise awareness of the history the memorial represents.
“The Commonwealth of Virginia will protect and steward this memorial, and we will make sure it is here for the generations who will stand on this ground and learn its stories,” she said. “It is up to us, all of us, to tell these stories with the honesty and grace they deserve.”
The dedication is just a stepping stone to a host of plans for the memorial, including the installation of statues expected to be completed later this summer, along with additional features.
“It’s almost like a book of essays with this memorial, much like the African experience in America over 400 years,” said Fort Monroe Authority Executive Director Scott Martin.
RELATED CONTENT: Washington State Launches Reparations Study To Examine Legacy Of Slavery And Racial Inequality