After participating in an ancestral tribute ceremony in the Jamestown, VA area a day prior, close to 300 Jamestown to Jamestown participants were wrought with excitement to begin the next leg of their week-long journey from the U.S. to Ghana.
#BeforeTheMayFlower. Thank you @nhannahjones for your work on #1619Project. It’s the perfect companion and touchstone as my family marks the significance of 1619 and 2019 by embarking with #NAACP to Ghana. #JamestownToJamestown pic.twitter.com/DtJc1HH68p
— Anthony Sparks (@SparksAnthony) August 16, 2019
The travel day began with the cohort making a short trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for more reflection on the significance of the Black American’s presence in shaping the country. Before heading to the airport, the group was met by WJLA’s Sam Ford, a household name in the District of Columbia. Among those interviewed by Ford were Haynes family, consisting of four women, a woman, her daughter, and her two granddaughters.
NAACP tour heads to Ghana as America marks the 400th year since slavery began
As part of the 400th anniversary of Africans arriving in what would become the United States, folks from across America are joining an NAACP tour that began in Jamestown, took them to D. C. , and will continue with a flight to Ghana.
The Haynes family is not unlike other groups on the trip, where multiple generations are on this journey together to learn more about their history and their heritage. Other travelers include a Black couple in their 20s, Jamila Ross and Akino West, owners of The Copper Door Bed and Breakfast in Miami, a group of girlfriends who travel the world together, legislative aides, corporate executives, and critically acclaimed actor, Danny Glover.
The group will make their arrival in Ghana, tomorrow, August 20, 2019 – exactly 400 years since the first Africans arrived in America from Ghana.
