Virginia Descendants of America’s First Enslaved Africans Return to Ancestral Homeland in Angola

They’ve gone back to where their family story began — nearly 400 years later.

The Virginia descendants of the first recorded enslaved Africans in North America have made a deeply emotional journey back to their ancestral homeland in Angola, reconnecting with their family’s origins after centuries of separation (The Grio).

Honoring the Legacy of William Tucker

Siblings Vincent and Dr. Wanda Tucker are the proud descendants of William Tucker, who was born in Virginia in 1624 and is recognized as one of the first children of African ancestry documented in English North America (The Washington Post). To preserve his legacy, the siblings founded The William Tucker 1624 Society, an organization dedicated to educating the public about the history, resilience, and cultural impact of the first Africans who arrived in colonial Virginia. Many of their relatives still reside in the Hampton Roads area, where the family’s story first began over four centuries ago.

“Our family carries both pain and pride,” Vincent explained. “We represent the beginning of African American history in this country, and we want the world to remember that our story didn’t start with slavery — it started with a people, a culture, and a homeland.”

A Presidential Invitation Fulfilled

In September, Vincent and Wanda met Angola’s President João Lourenço at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. During their meeting, President Lourenço spoke about the shared history that binds Angola and the African diaspora, inviting the Tucker family to one day visit their ancestral land (NPR).

Last month, the Tuckers accepted his invitation and traveled to Angola — a homecoming centuries in the making. For the family, the trip represented both healing and historical reclamation. They visited several historical landmarks, including the Kwanza River, where millions of enslaved Africans were forced onto ships bound for the Americas during the transatlantic slave trade.

Standing at the river’s edge, Vincent said he felt an almost spiritual connection to his ancestors. “We could just imagine what that journey must have been like,” he told reporters. “Being taken down to the river, separated from everything you knew — it was heartbreaking and deeply moving at the same time.” (Associated Press).

Walking Through History

For Dr. Wanda Tucker — a historian and professor — the trip was her second visit to Angola, but this time it carried a deeper resonance because she shared the experience with her family. Together, they toured the São Miguel Museum, which chronicles Angola’s colonial past and the defiant spirit of Queen Nzinga, the 17th-century warrior queen who led a powerful resistance against Portuguese colonizers and the slave trade.

“Queen Nzinga’s story reminded me of our family’s strength,” Wanda said. “There are still so many missing pieces on both sides of the Atlantic, but I feel empowered to identify myself as Angolan-American now because I finally know where my family came from — and that’s powerful.”

The First Africans in Virginia

Historical records show that William Tucker’s parents, Antony and Isabella, were among the group known as the “twenty and odd” Africans who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the White Lion, an English privateer that had seized them from a Portuguese slave ship. The captured Africans were traded for provisions at Point Comfort, now known as Hampton, Virginia, marking the beginning of the African presence in English America (National Archives).

Antony and Isabella became servants of Captain William Tucker and his wife Mary, on whose plantation their son William was born. Today, a historical marker in Hampton commemorates their arrival and the foundational role their lives played in shaping African American history.

A Journey Bridging Past and Present

For the Tucker family, their trip to Angola is more than a symbolic return — it’s a continuation of a centuries-long effort to reclaim identity and truth. As debates intensify across the United States over how slavery and racial history should be taught in schools, the Tuckers believe their story underscores the need for transparency and education.

“The events of 1619 still echo today,” Vincent noted. “When people try to erase or sanitize history, it dishonors our ancestors. Understanding where we come from helps us understand who we are.”

Scholars agree. According to The Washington Post, historians view stories like the Tuckers’ as crucial reminders that Black history is American history — and that truth-telling strengthens, rather than divides, the nation.

Continuing the Legacy

The William Tucker 1624 Society continues to advocate for historical preservation and cultural awareness through public exhibits, community education, and partnerships with institutions like the Smithsonian and the Hampton History Museum. The organization also plans to create a cultural exchange program between Angola and Virginia to help other African American families trace their roots.

“We’ve come full circle,” Wanda said. “We left this land in chains, but now we’ve returned in freedom — not just for ourselves, but for all the generations who never got the chance.”

Their journey serves as a powerful reminder that the past is never truly gone — it lives on in the stories, memories, and resilience of those who choose to reclaim it.