The African American Heritage Association of Virginia
Know Your History. Know Your Story.
Categories
Remembrance & Commemoration
We remember those in endless sleep from their journey in the quiet solemnity of the winter season. We gather for this event to commemorate their lives, give thanks for life, honor ancestors, and to share as one community in celebration.
This signature event, honoring African, Indigenous, and European ancestors, occurs in December during the holiday season. We thank those who have passed away: doctors, teachers, the guy next door, the woman who toiled as a maid, our friends, and our family. We respect them with joy as a collective, giving strength and power to their legacy. Proceeds from this event support The Height Institute.
Honorees Awards Reception
The 100 For The 400 award gives special honor and meaning to the humanity of slaves, former slaves, and their descendants.
The program recognizes individuals in different categories who support our vision to cultivate and elevate awareness of African American Heritage through the collaboration of AAHA! members.
Honorees Awards Dinner
The 100 For The 400 recognition dinner ceremony honors individuals who contributed to the liberation and advancement of African Americans from slavery to the present.
Institutionalized subjugation rendered slaves powerless and of value only as a means of wealth creation for property owners and their families. Selling slaves, thus separating families, was significant in accomplishing this. To honor them is a small measure in consideration of their treatment.
Essay Honorees
Practice Yields Excellence: Share Your Insightful Stories
The selected Essay Honorees have opened a window from which we can view the Commonwealth of Virginia through the many heritages of her people. The contest fosters curiosity through observation research and field trips that acquaint students with local heritage sites, elements of material culture, and celebrations that link the past with the present.
Know Your Heritage - Know Your Story features timeline entries, essays, and spoken word works. The 100 for the 400 Writing Competition is open to Virginia high school students, 9-12 grade, who attend public, private, and charter schools and home-schooled students. The contest inspires the creation of works by young people that speak to the Commonwealth's rich multicultural legacy. Virginia has always been multicultural. There were Indigenous, European, and African populations in Virginia before 1607.
Surrender & Jubilation
Weary of death and destruction, the American Civil War ends, on April 9, 1865, as combat recedes only from the battlefield. Word circulated immediately to nearby Richmond and other cities as news spread across Virginia. Yet, this brief quiet is a momentary pause. President Lincoln is assassinated, dying on April 15, 1865. However, the struggle for who had the power to rule the people of this country continues.
Surrender-Jubilation is a candlelight ceremony of songs after a day-long celebration as reminders that, for African Americans, the idea of freedom is not without struggles. The event recognizes our collective strength and perseverance, critical to understanding our value in the making of America. Furthermore, that strength is key to building a more tolerant America that respects the rich diversity of its people. Proceeds from this event support the John Mercer Langston Scholars Forum.
Ceremony of Songs
On this day, April 9, we honor the sacrifices of the fallen who gave all to live free. We rejoice and celebrate the progress and renewal of our energy to move forward in freedom's quest for all.
Arrival in Virginia
The Arrival in Virginia is an acknowledgment of the 1619 landing of the first enslaved Africans at the English settlement in Fort Monroe, present-day Hampton, Virginia. The African American Heritage Association will partner with other organizations to host the family-friendly event.
This solemn event comes alive through earnest participation from residents and visitors. Over these days of remembrance, numerous activities will draw upon the diverse arts and music communities and abundant local living cultural heritage throughout the Commonwealth.
Golf Tournament
The birds are chirping, the sun is beaming, and your caddie is begging to get out on the green. So, sign up for our golf tournament and show off those driving skills, whether it's with your clubs or just a golf cart. This tee-off kicks off the spring season. Catch up with fellow mates and enjoy a competitive game of golf while supporting our remarkable student scholars. These young people represent the best of Virginia.
Proceeds fund African American interns at Virginia's historically black colleges (HBCUs). The golf tournament also supports our speakers' forums and guest lecturers who enhance student knowledge on African American contributions to Virginia. Proceeds from this event support Wealth Literacy.
Activities will include the following:
John Mercer Langston Scholarship Reception
Sports Outing & Arts and Crafts Demonstrations
Cultural Tours of Local Heritage Venues
Visual Arts Exhibits & Traditional Foods Marketplace
Come Home Harvest Feast
We are a people of thanksgiving; we are a people where family is not just birth families. First Harvest is an act of caring, where we consider land, harvesting, and sharing our bounty, particularly with those having less. We do so through urban gardening, food donations, and cooking contests within a festive gathering.
The First Harvest
Through First Harvest, we give thanks for the favor that comes from our labor and praise for what earth gives us to sustain life. First Harvest offers each of us an opportunity, time, and a place to acknowledge, contribute, and honor the gift of the harvest, particularly with the neediest in our communities. Proceeds from this event support The Agriculture Research Center.