August 25, 2019 is the 400th anniversary of the first landing of enslaved Africans in English-occupied North America at Point Comfort in Hampton, Virginia, now part of Fort Monroe National Monument.

The anniversary will be commemorated at Fort Monroe as a day of healing and reconciliation with an invitation to come together in solidarity by ringing bells simultaneously across the nation. This symbolic gesture will enable Americans from all walks of life to participate in this historic moment from wherever they are — to capture the spirit of healing and reconciliation while honoring the significance of 400 years of African American history and culture.

From our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry: “Churches and people from around this country [will] commemorate and remember that landing and the bringing of those first enslaved Africans to this country by ringing bells … on August 25 at 3:00 in the afternoon.”

“I’m inviting us as The Episcopal Church to join in this commemoration as part of our continued work of racial healing and reconciliation. At 3:00 pm we can join together with people of other Christian faiths and people of all faiths to remember those who came as enslaved, who came to a country that one day would proclaim liberty. And so we remember them and pray for a new future for us all.”

Here at All Saints Church on Sunday, August 25 we will pause at 12:00 noon during our liturgy to participate in this national moment of recognition with the tolling of a bell and a moment of silence. Join us — in church or wherever you find yourself at noon on Sunday — as we both pray and work for a new future of love, justice and compassion for our whole human family.

Resource: Visit the New York Times interactive Project 1619 feature here.