Tom,
History points to late August in the year 1619 when some “20 and odd Negroes” originating from Angola arrived in the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia as the first documented enslaved Africans to land in what is now the United States. This nation and its wealth was built through forced labor and the very existence of Black men and women.
Our journey from Jamestown, Virginia to Jamestown, Ghana is an important reminder of the our shared history and connected struggle. We retrace the agonizing footsteps of our ancestors through the slave dungeons and along the shores where they saw.
I asked my team for a few photos to share with you of our journey thus far. Here are a few of my favorites:
Our team in Jamestown, Virginia.
We arrive in Jamestown, Accra, Ghana.
A few of the elders in Jamestown.
My speech at the African American Business Summit.
We greet the elders.
Ghana's "Cape Coast Castle"—used to hold slaves before they were loaded onto ships and sold in the Americas.
The castle's notorious Door of No Return—the last sight enslaved Africans saw before they boarded trading ships. It has since been renamed the Door of Return.
We reflect on our experiences.
Through this experience, we hope to actualize the healing and collective unity so many generations have worked to achieve in ways which bring power to our communities in America, Africa and throughout our Diaspora.
We wouldn't be able to tell these stories and bring these experiences to a wider audience without your generous support. If you could, consider donating to the NAACP to help us continue these efforts—because the story of us should never be forgotten.
In solidarity,
Derrick Johnson
@DerrickNAACP
President and CEO
NAACP
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