WESTMORELAND—Stratford Hall Historic Preserve, 483 Great House Road, Stratford, will celebrate First African Day on Saturday, July 26.
The event, now entering its fifth year, serves as a powerful day of reflection, celebration and remembrance as Stratford Hall honors the stories and contributions of the enslaved Africans and African Americans who shaped the history of two-thousand acres of land along the Potomac River, reported communications director Ethan Burgess.
Activities from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. will include a presentation at 3 p.m. by 2025 Pulitzer Prize winner Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black, who teaches history at Carnegie Mellon University and serves as director of the Dietrich College Humanities Center.
Dr. Fields-Black has written extensively about the transnational history of West African rice farmers, including in such works as Deep Roots: Rice Farmers in West Africa and the African Diaspora. Guests can look forward to a wealth of insight, highlighted in her recent book COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War.
Other activities will include:
• A special performance by KanKouran West African Dance Company.
• Culinary demonstrations in the Historic Kitchen with Dontavius Williams.
• Music, art, tours and food.
• Special opening and closing ceremonies.
• Historical interpreters and storytellers.
Sponsored by Wells Fargo, First Africans Day is a free public event. Guests are urged to register ahead of time at stratfordhall.org/event/first-africans-day.
