HAMPTON, Va. — As the United States marks 250 years of independence, descendants of the first enslaved Africans to arrive in English North America are reflecting on what that milestone means to them — and on the history that unfolded at what is now Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia.
In 1619, more than 20 people stolen from Angola landed at what was then called Point Comfort, beginning America’s foundation for the enslavement of Africans. The African Landing Memorial Plaza at Fort Monroe pays homage to those first enslaved Africans, who arrived on a slave ship that year.
“This is symbolic, this shows this important piece of history,” Verrandall Tucker said…