Fort Monroe is a wonderful place to visit. If you are a history buff, nature lover or simply looking for a good meal, a day at Fort Monroe is unlike any other.
Fort Monroe has received several national designations to celebrate and protect this area’s important heritage. 
SANKOFA LAUNCHES “SOULS FOR THE ANCESTORS COMMUNITY ART AND DONATION PROJECT”
JOIN US AS WE BUILD COMMUNITY ONE SOLE/SOUL AT A TIME!
On Saturday, June 8, 2024, at 11:00am EST, The Sankofa Projects will host their 13th Annual International Day of Remembrance at Outlook Beach at the Fort Monroe National Monument. The partners are the National Park Service, the Fort Monroe Authority, Hampton Conventions and Visitors Bureau, the Casemate Museum and their long-standing partner, the Hampton History Museum
Remembrance is a spiritual ceremony honoring the millions of African men, women, and children who perished during the Middle Passage of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which is referred to as “the largest forced migration in history and undeniably one of the most inhumane,” according to the United Nations. Following in the tradition initiated by activist and scholar Toni Cade Bambara in 1989, Chadra Pittman, Founder & Executive Director of The Sankofa Projects, brought Remembrance to Hampton in 2012, to give voice to this untold chapter in the annals of slavery. “Recognizing the historical significance of the city of Hampton as the birthplace of slavery in North America and where the seeds of freedom were sown through the Contraband Decision in 1861, it was imperative to begin a tradition of Remembrance in Hampton” says Pittman.
From New York to South Carolina across the Atlantic to Nigeria, these Remembrance ceremonies and Tributes to the Ancestors are held to honor this untold history. With UNESCO’s designation of Fort Monroe as a Site of Memory associated with the Slave Route, Sankofa’s ceremony of Remembrance is the missing chapter and completes this shared history of slavery at Fort Monroe. According to Pittman, “For the millions who died in the dungeons, those captive in the holding cells along the Coast and drowned in the Atlantic Ocean, this ritual of Remembrance is the funeral these Africans never received.”
The day’s events will include an annual Ceremonial Remembrance Walk around the Tree of Remembrance, a procession to the water, poetry, drumming and traditional songs and theatrical performances. At 12:00 noon an International Libation will be orchestrated by Baba Orimalade Ogunjimi of Ile Nago and will occur simultaneously across the United States in Brooklyn, New York; Montgomery, Alabama; Oakland, California; Charleston, South Carolina St. Croix, Virgin Islands, and internationally.
This year, The Sankofa Projects will launch “Souls for the Ancestors Community Art and Donation Project.” (SACAD). Participants are asked to bring gently worn adult and children’s shoes to the ceremony. Some shoes will be used for the art project and others will be donated to a charitable organization. All are welcome to participate in this historic event as we work together as a shared community and give back to our community in need. Join us as we BUILD COMMUNITY ONE SOLE AT A TIME!
This event is free and open to the public. We ask that all respect the sanctity of this sacred ceremony. Attire: Please wear White or Traditional African garb. What to Bring: Fresh flowers for the Ancestral Offering. Beach chairs, blankets, and other beach paraphernalia. Bring your DRUMS and other music makers to celebrate these Ancestors and this culture!
FOR MORE INFO, CONTACT: Chadra Pittman thesankofaprojects@gmail.com
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