Jamestown Settlement to honor legacy of first Africans brought to Virginia

Jamestown Settlement will host a First Africans Commemoration on Saturday, Aug. 16, honoring the legacy of the first recorded Africans brought to Virginia in 1619.

The special event, which kicks off at 3 p.m., reflects on history and modern perspectives through an African American lens.

Barbara Hamm Lee, executive producer and host of WHRO/WHRV radio show “Another View,” will moderate a 90-minute conversation exploring the historical connection to the arrival of the Africans to Virginia and the African American culture’s lasting legacy today.

Valarie Gray Holmes will present a first-person interpretation of Angelo, one of the first African women documented in the historical record.

Also participating in the event is Keem Hughley, a 15-year hospitality visionary. Hughley’s Washington D.C. restaurant, Bronze, strives to provide a world-class culinary experience that highlights the culture of the African Diaspora.

Guests who Jamestown Settlement will have the opportunity to view expansive gallery exhibits that share historical accounts of the first documented Africans taken from their homeland in Ndongo (Angola) in 1619 to live in the Virginia colony.

The documentary film, “1607: A Nation Takes Root” will be shown every 30 minutes. The film traces the evolution of the Virginia Company that sponsored the Jamestown colony, examines the relationship between the English colonists and Powhatan Indians, and chronicles the arrival of the first recorded Africans in 1619 – including the story of Angelo, one of the first African women named in Jamestown’s historical record.

Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design, an ongoing special exhibition on display through December 1, visitors can also explore more than 60 of Carter’s original garments for acclaimed films and television such as “Roots,” “Amistad,” “Malcolm X,” “Selma,” “Do the Right Thing” and “Black Panther.”

The First Africans Commemoration is included with museum admission. Residents of James City County, York County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, receive free admission with proof of residency.