As many of you know, The New York Times has done an amazing job in commemorating the 400th anniversary of African presence in Colonial Virginia through The 1619 Project.
This anniversary has an impact on so many continents so it is fitting that the BBC has also chosen to mark the occasion with a week-long series in The Essay.
I was thankful to be asked to share my thoughts regarding two figures in this history that made a difference in my own life.
My contribution will air: Thursday, November 21, 5:45 pm EST https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000bg2m
Two authors whose work I deeply admire, Daina Ramey Berry and Caryl Phillips, were also asked to share their personal reflections and their essays can be heard tonight (Mon 11/18) and tomorrow (Tues 11/19) at 5:45pm.EST
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000bdxk
The program is also available on BBC Sounds under The Essay.
I hope you will have a chance to listen and to continue to reflect on this important commemoration.
Anne Bailey
Author of The Weeping Time: Memory and the largest slave auction in American History (Cambridge University Press, 2017)
Photo courtesy of: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)]