Did you know the first documented Africans in Virginia arrived on a British privateer?

Strangers in a strange land, they came ashore after sailors on the ship traded their “20 and odd” captives for food.

That was in August 1619.

This week, a ceremony is being held near Fort Monroe to install a revised and updated historical marker recalling this important first. Location: 51 Fenwick Road around the fort that later sheltered escaped slaves during the Civil War.

We applaud everyone involved in making this ceremony happen, including descendents of the first African child born in this state to a couple brought here on that ship and later settled in what is now Hampton.

We urge parents to consider taking your children on a trip to see this marker. At the very least, spend time learning more about the arrival and the history that followed, and then pass it on to your descendents so it will not be forgotten.