The Association for the Study of African-American Life and History [ASALH] has created a new page on its website —- 400 Years of Perseverance: 1619-2019 – to note the 400th anniversary of the introduction of slavery into America and the long history of struggle for equal rights. In August of 1619, the first African men and women arrived by ship in Virginia. Some of thembecame part of the settlement at Jamestown, feted as a cornerstone of the history of the United States. Thus began a four-hundred-year struggle for equal rights and opportunity for African-Americans, a struggle which continues to the present day.
The ASALH site notes: Forced migration of Africans to the Virginia colony in 1619 reminds us that they came before the Mayflower (1620). By this commemoration, ASALH pays tribute to 400 years of the creative industry of a people who were kidnapped and brought unwillingly to these shores and who, with resolute African spirit, fought for human dignity and equality.
This new web page also serves as a portal to enter local commemorations being planned around the United States to commemorate Black History Month. To access the page, go to https://asalh.org/400-years.