AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE BEGINS HERE

America’s African American History BEGAN IN HAMPTON

On a still day, the waves lap gently against the stone seawall that protects Old Point Comfort from the Hampton Roads harbor. Under a clear sky, it is easy to understand how the members of the Virginia Company of London came to call the site Point Comfort. After four months aboard ship, it can be imagined the discovery of the navigable channel and anchoring here brought them “good comfort” before their travels continued to Jamestown.

A vessel carrying “20 and odd” Africans arrived at Point Comfort in August 1619. The vessel was the White Lion and the passengers were the first Africans brought to English North America. Although once here they were initially bound by servitude, their coming would usher in the era of American chattel slavery and lay the foundation for a history of perseverance over four centuries.

Today, the legacy of these first Africans and the offspring that would follow lives on in Hampton’s history and African American heritage sites.

1619 quilt square crafted by Carolita Jones Cope featured in the 2019 Legacy Quilt displayed at Hampton Roads Convention Center.