HAMPTON — Project 1619’s 11th Annual African Landing Day will be this Friday and Saturday.
There will be a Ceremonial Easement Signing at Tucker Family Cemetery on Sharon Court in Aberdeen Gardens starting at 11 a.m. on Friday.
Gov. Ralph Northam, Secretary of Natural Resources Matthew Strickler, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the William Tucker 1624 Society in Hampton will come together to celebrate the protection of one of the oldest African-American historic sites in North America.
The site, Tucker Family Cemetery was owned by America’s first African-American family, according to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.
The cemetery, through a Virginia Outdoors Foundation $100,000 grant, has been given a ceremonial easement.
The William Tucker 1624 Society will use these funds to keep up the 2-acre cemetery grounds.
The American Theatre (125 Mellen St.) will host a 1619 African Diaspora Film Festival at 7 p.m. Admission for adults is $10 and children under 12 are free.
Head over to Fort Monroe on Saturday for an 11:30 a.m. for the Traditional African Naming Ceremony.
According to Fort Monroe’s website, the ceremony will be performed by an African Spiritual Leader based on the individual’s spirit and social consciousness of their ancestry.
Then at noon, the 8th Annual Pilgrimage Prayer will take place in honor of World Day of Reconciliation and healing from the legacy of enslavement. It will be followed by a libation, African Dancers and Drummer ceremony.
The ceremony will commemorate the arrival of the first Africans brought to English-occupied North America in 1619.
At 1:30 p.m. a Musical Mosaic will be performed by local youth dance groups with spoken word and poetry and at 3 p.m. there will be a procession to the water to throw flower petals to honor the ancestors and lives lost.
The event culminates at the American Theatre at 7 p.m. Saturday with a Juneteenth Jazz Concert.
This concert is a tribute to Dr. Ronald Myers with legendary jazz artists Herman Burney and saxophonist Todd Ledbetter.
To see the full calendar of events click here.
