HAMPTON, Va — More than 400 years ago, enslaved Africans were kidnapped from their home in Africa and taken to what is now Fort Monroe, Virginia.
Over the weekend, the City of Hampton hosted a commemoration of the first enslaved Africans landing in August of 1619.
Among those who were on that first boat of enslaved Africans was Antony and Isabela Tucker. They were ancestors of Vincent Tucker who says it's hard to imagine what his family members went through.
"It's a horrible story, it's a horrible time to be at the bottom of a ship and then to be treated like you're worthless like there is no value to you," explained Tucker.
This is why Tucker felt the weekend's festivities were so important, so that the struggle of the men and women who came here could be understood and never to be endured again.
"It's important for all of us in America and abroad because it talks about that first ship the White Lion that arrived in 1619 and it shares the history and in certain schools, only certain histories are taught and some are left out," said Tucker. "So it's important to bring our people together, connect not just African Americans but all races all cultures together,"
Glenn Oder, the executive director of the Fort Monroe Authority, says some very powerful and symbolic activities such as the blending of soil took place.
"The soil blending ceremony is a unique opportunity to take physical soil from Angola and blend it not just here with the soil from point comfort but also soil from around Virginia and as far away as other states, signifying the commonality and inclusiveness of point comfort," said Oder.
Vice Mayor Jimmy Gray says it's important that the city remembers its roots, which is why Hampton has built a bond with Angola, the country the first slaves were taken from.
"We have been spending time searching for ancestors and learning more about our history and where we came from and so this connection between Hampton and Angola where those first arriving slaves originated from is very important to understanding our history here, not only Hampton but our history in America," said Gray.
Back in June, News 3's Anchor Jessica Larche reported about a future plan for an African Landing Memorial. Vice Mayor Gray says it's still in the works.
"This is kind of the start of our plans for the African Landing Memorial, which will be right here on this site," explained Gray. "I think we anticipate that construction to be completed in the next couple of years and the other major thing is signing the agreement with Malanje Province to execute our final agreement to create our sister city relationship is the next step for us,"
For Tucker, a future accomplishment would be finding more of his family members.
"Each year we find more and more people who has the Tucker name and we are trying to trace them down to their roots and sometimes they can only go back so far," explained Tucker.
But when he does find a relative, he says it's a wonderful experience.
"It's a large family reunion," said Tucker.
