We are honored to invite you to the first-ever Contraband Week Commemoration —five days of worship, film, scholarship, ceremony, and remembrance on the sacred ground where history was made and where ancestors still rest.
Worship Service
SUNDAY, MAY 17 · 10:15 AM
First Baptist Church, 229 N. King Street, Hampton VA 23669
We begin where our ancestors began — in faith. Join us for worship at First Baptist Church, one of the oldest standing Contraband churches in Hampton Roads. Research uncovered by the Barrette-Peake Foundation illuminating ancestors buried in Elmerton Cemetery will be on display for community viewing.
Film Screening & Community Roundtable
MONDAY, MAY 18 · 3 PM
First Baptist Church, 229 N. King Street, Hampton VA 23669
First Class — the remarkable story of James Apostle Fields, one of the earliest Contrabands — will be screened, followed by a community roundtable featuring:
Elmerton Cemetery burial updates
Ground penetrating radar analysis report
Update on the state highway marker application for Thornton Cemetery
Land Blessing
MONDAY, MAY 18 · 6 PM
Elmerton Cemetery, 650 N King Street, Hampton, VA 23669
A sacred land blessing by Chadra Pittman and prayer offered by Dr. Davidson over the ground where our ancestors rest.
Drum Procession & Libation Ceremony
TUESDAY, MAY 19 · 6 PM
Phillips Cemetery, 650 N King Street, Hampton, VA 23669
Follow the drums to the Contraband Heritage Markers for a moving procession, followed by a libation ceremony at Phillips Cemetery — honoring those who came before us. Their names deserve to be spoken. Their ground deserves to be honored. Their story deserves to be told.
** Come. Bear witness. Remember. **
After a Long Silence: The Emerging History of the American Contrabands Symposium
Friday & Saturday, May 22 & 23
Fort Monroe, 30 Ingalls Road, Fort Monroe, VA 23651
Across two days, sessions will integrate descendant knowledge, public history practice, and emerging scholarship to illuminate the names, lives, communities, and military service of hundreds of thousands of self-emancipated people. Space is limited so reserve yours NOW!