HAMPTON, Va. — Hampton kicked off African Landing Commemoration Week on Saturday with a celebration at the Convention Center honoring the arrival of the first recorded Africans in English North America in 1619.
The event marks the landing of the White Lion — the first ship carrying enslaved Africans — at Point Comfort, now Fort Monroe, more than 400 years ago. The week of events runs August 22–29, 2026, and brings together descendants, community members, historians, cultural organizations, civic leaders, educators, faith communities, and the public.
Kamiruri "Kam" Kelly, an instructor and leader with the DAY Program, said the day carries deep national significance.
"This is a historical event and moment for us and for the nation. You know, of what today represents, 1619."
Vincent Tucker, president of the William Tucker 1624 Society, said the commemoration gives the community an opportunity to connect with that history.
"We've been commemorating that time of the first arrivals, and it gives everyone a chance to come to Fort Monroe to learn about the culture and the history."
Kelly said teaching African culture through music transformed his life.
"I got shot in 1998 when I was 16 years old in New York City. After you know, the therapy and the hospital and stuff, I got home and I got back to the drum community."
He now shares that sense of community by teaching and performing African drums with his students at events like African Landing Day.
"It's a blessing and that drum has been that guiding light in my life," Kelly said.
Tucker said the week is a reminder of the shared responsibility to understand everyone's histories.
"America is America. And we all fit in this place together. And we all have different beginnings and different cultures, so I think it's very important that we all learn from each other."
Throughout the week, programs at Fort Monroe will explore themes of memory, resilience, descendant engagement, cultural connection, and the long arc of freedom — from the 1619 landing to the 1861 Contraband Decision and beyond. The week concludes on Aug. 29 with a National Ceremony of Remembrance & Renewal at Fort Monroe, including the unveiling of the first addition to the African Landing Memorial — sculptures representing Virginia's first African American family — beginning at 9 a.m. A full schedule of events is available here.
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