NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – At the start of the spring semester, Old Dominion University is planning events and activities to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the landing of the first Africans in North America.
The first event will be the 35th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Observance, scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 14 in the Big Blue Room at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
Part of the University’s “Writing a New History: Let’s Talk About Our Dream” conversations during the 2019-20 school year.
The King observance will feature a panel discussion that includes Verandall Tucker, a descendant of Anthony and Isabella, who is believed to have arrived during the first landing at Point Comfort in Hampton in 1619.
During the week, as part of the observance, the university will exhibit the work of painter Ted Ellis, who will unveil his “The First Family” painting.
The artwork, one of about two dozen pieces in the display, captures the Tucker Family Cemetery which is the burial site of William Tucker, whose birth was the first one documented in the English colonies.
The display will be free and open to the public from Jan. 15 through March 1 in the Goode Theatre.
A “Let’s Sing About Our Dream” concert will be held at the Diehn Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24. The concert will be directed by Nancy Klein, professor, and chair of the F. Ludwig Diehn School of Music.
Many other “Let’s Talk About Our Dream” lectures sponsored by the College of Arts and Letters include:
- “A Call to Action,” 5:30 p.m. Jan. 28, Hampton/Newport News Room, Webb University Center.
- “The Pillage of Africa,” 5:30 p.m. Feb. 5, Hampton/Newport News Room, Webb University Center.
- “From Plantation to Prison,” 5:30 p.m. March 26, Hampton/Newport News Room, Webb University Center.
- “Reparations and Building Community Capacity,” 3 p.m. April 2, James Lynnhaven York Room, Webb University Center.
Shuntay Tarver, assistant professor of counseling and human services, will teach a special-topics course as part of the African American and African Studies Program.
The series will focus on the theme: “Let’s Talk About Our Dream.” The course is designed to explore the strength and resilience of African Americans, from their origins in Africa to the current day within the United States
ODU is also planning a study tour to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington on April 3.
On April 8, Nikole Hannah-Jones, who collaborated with the New York Times on a 1619 project that observes 400 years of American slavery, is scheduled to give a presentation titled “1619 and the Legacy that Built a Nation.”
For more information, these events and other 400th anniversary activities at ODU, visit their website.
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