HAMPTON, Va. — A new memorial unveiled along the shoreline of Fort Monroe is drawing renewed attention to one of the earliest and most consequential chapters in American history. 

State leaders, including Governor Abigail Spanberger, Attorney General Jay Jones, Congressman Bobby Scott, and Virginia Senator Mamie Locke, joined community members in Hampton to dedicate the African Landing Memorial Plaza: a site that marks where the first documented enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia more than 400 years ago.

The plaza stands on what historians identify as the original site of Point Comfort, where enslaved Africans taken from Luanda, Angola, first arrived in 1619. They were transported aboard the São João Bautista voyage, a ship that carried hundreds across the Atlantic in a journey that marked the beginning of a painful legacy that would shape the nation’s history.

Now, that history is being formally recognized through a permanent memorial designed to honor those who endured the trans-Atlantic crossing and to provide a space for reflection and education. The African Landing Memorial Plaza centers on four guiding themes: truth, empathy, respect, and hope.

Leaders say the memorial is not only about remembrance, but also about deepening understanding. Fort Monroe Authority CEO Scott Martin emphasized the power of storytelling in preserving history and connecting generations.

“It’s often said that you need story more than food to survive,” Martin said. “The descendants are with us today, the story is still with us today… and when you sit out here at sunrise or sunset, you watch the land speak to you.”

The dedication ceremony marked a significant milestone after decades of advocacy by local residents and organizations, including the 1619 Project and The William Tucker 1624 Society, who pushed to ensure African American history at the site would be accurately and meaningfully told.

For descendants like Wanda Tucker, the moment carries deep personal significance. Tucker traces her lineage to Isabella and Antony — two of the first enslaved Africans recorded in Virginia — and their child, William Tucker.

“I believe that the ancestors are saying, ‘Our stories are finally being told,’” Tucker said. “People are hearing, people are listening, people are remembering us.”

She described the memorial as a powerful acknowledgment of a history that was long overlooked or excluded from traditional narratives.

“This is one moment in history that captures over 400 years,” Tucker added. “A story that was never fully put into the history books.”

Governor Spanberger, speaking at the ceremony, called the dedication a privilege and described the plaza as a lasting connection between past and future generations.

“It is important to know and to celebrate that your ancestors built something here that this nation still stands on… the history, the resilience, the power,” said Spanberger.    

The African Landing Memorial Plaza is now open to the public, with additional features still to come. Statues honoring the enslaved men and women who first arrived are expected to be completed and installed later this summer.

At one of the nation’s most historically layered sites, the new memorial stands as both a place of reflection and a reminder that the story of 1619 and its legacy continues to unfold.