В Джеймстауне пройдут мероприятия, посвященные первым африканским рабам, прибывшим в Вирджинию в 1619 году

It was in August 1619 that two English ships brought more than 60 enslaved Africans to the James River, starting the cycle of race-based enslavement in the United States. This Saturday, Jamestown Settlement and the Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation will honor the lives of the first Africans brought to Virginia more than 400 years ago with a variety of programs. Jamestown Settlement will host “History, HeArt & Harmonies” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Led by Black Opry artist and award-winning singer-songwriter Roberta Lea, the interactive workshop will allow participants to explore museum exhibits and translate their findings into music. Lea will provide songwriting techniques and prompts to help attendees shape their own songs. Tickets are $10 per person with museum members receiving a 20% discount. The museum will also host “Black Churches in Virginia History” from 2 to 4 p.m. Held at the Robins Foundation Theater, the program will discuss the development of the Black church in Virginia and its impact today. A panel will be held by the Rev. Carlon Lassiter of St. John Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Norfolk State University assistant professor Travis Harris and Williamsburg actor, musician and historical interpreter Brandon Lee. The Freedom Choir, organized by Sylvia Tabb-Lee, will perform after the panel and feature musical director James Marsh. The program is free with museum admission. Jamestown Rediscovery will also host its annual First Africans Commemoration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with three programs at Historic Jamestowne. It will start at the Pocahontas statue with an 11 a.m. walking tour on the first Africans, followed by a noon presentation near the Hunt Shrine on Angela, one of the first Africans later identified in historical records. At 2 p.m., a walking tour on Bacon’s Rebellion will leave from the statue. The First Africans Walking Tour will discuss what happened the year they were brought to Virginia, said Jamestown Rediscovery public historian Mark Summers. Along with discussing how slavery was covered up before becoming legal, Summers will share backstories of the first Africans, including how the foundation can trace their origins to the country of Angola — then known as the Kingdom of Ndongo — and what led to their capture. He will also discuss the concept of race and color in England. He noted a small, but significant, Black community in London and how they provide a clue to race relations in Jamestown. “Angela’s Story” will be presented by historical interpreter Valarie Gray-Holmes. Gray-Holmes will portray Angela, who went on to live and work in the house of tobacco planter and Jamestown burgess Capt. William Pierce. She will portray the memories of Angela’s homeland, her parents and the beliefs she held on to as she was transported to Jamestown, she said. Gray-Holmes, who had a 30-year career as an interpreter with Colonial Williamsburg, said it has been “fabulous” collaborating with Historic Jamestowne. Gray-Holmes noted the challenge of portraying Angela based on only her name, the time period and what is known of her journey. Gray-Holmes said she hopes attendees will recognize Angela’s humanity while seeing a reflection of their own lives. When she portrayed Clara Byrd Baker at Colonial Williamsburg, a white attendee shared that she reminded him of his grandmother, she said. He said it was Gray-Holmes’ shoes during her performance that took him back to his memory of her, she said. “That’s what I always try to do when I’m portraying someone,” Gray-Holmes said. “For people to walk away with seeing their own lives in that life.” The Bacon’s Rebellion Walking Tour will feature Summers alongside historical interpreter Stephen Seals. The tour will focus on the aftermath of the failed rebellion, which started in fall 1675 as a dispute between settlers and Native Americans on the Virginia-Maryland border. An escalation of violence followed suit between settlers and tribes, leading to a full scale rebellion by Nathaniel Bacon against Gov. William Berkeley. The rebellion included Black enslaved and indentured individuals as well as white indentured servants who joined the fight for the promise of freedom. Seals, who has been a Colonial Williamsburg historical interpreter for 18 years, will portray an unnamed enslaved man who was promised freedom, but then denied. He will share the man’s story, what was endured during the rebellion and how enslaved people were treated after it ended, he said. Seals said he spends his regular work hours interpreting the 18th century, which includes enslavement. It was interesting to see how so much dealt with between the 18th century to today was codified in the 17th century, he said. “There’s so many things that happen — especially (when it) comes to enslavement and to race in Virginia in the 17th century — that I think when people become aware of it, it blows their mind,” Seals said. Tickets for Jamestown Settlement are $21 for adults and $11 for ages 6-12. Admission for children 5 and under is free. James City County, York County and Williamsburg residents as well as William & Mary students receive free admission with proof of residency. Tickets for Historic Jamestowne are $15-$30 for ages 16 and over and $5 for children 6-15. Admission for children ages 5 and under is free. For more information on Jamestown Settlement, visit jyfmuseums.org/home or call 757-253-4838. For more on Historic Jamestowne, visit historicjamestowne.org or call 757-856-1250. James W. Robinson, 757-799-0621, [email protected]