"Footprints": A Historical Series (1619 Commemoration Event in Fort Monroe, Virginia)

Last weekend my wife and I stumbled upon a commemoration event in recognition of the first enslaved African landing in Fort Monroe, Virginia. This is the story of that unexpected excursion.

Me on Fort Monroe Beach in colonial Virginia on the weekend of the commemoration of the first enslaved African landing; photo by Leslie D. Rose

A well-known saying about timing and placement goes something like “you’re always where you are supposed to be when you’re supposed to be.” Last weekend, I had no intention of being on Fort Monroe Beach in Hampton, Virginia the same weekend as a commemorative event honoring the lives and legacy of the first enslaved Africans. Still, as fate would have it, that is where I landed.