America After 1619

In late August 1619, twenty or more enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia at what’s now called Fort Monroe. They were the first Africans documented in British North America. Fort Monroe’s Park Superintendent Terry Brown recalls how America commemorated their arrival 407 years later.

We hear from the Tuckers, the descendants of the very first African-American baby, about their work to uncover the stories of their ancestors.

Poet Synnika Lofton reflects on 1619 and shares how he channels his political thoughts into art.

When Ana Edwards first heard the story of Gabriel, an enslaved blacksmith who attempted a rebellion in Richmond, Virginia, she knew she needed to share it. She says new efforts to commemorate the lives and rebellions of enslaved people in the former Confederate capital are reshaping Richmond today.

Richmond poet Joshua Poteat tells how he has been inspired by Gabriel’s story. Poteat has been writer in residence at William & Mary and a visiting writer at Virginia Commonwealth University.