In late August of 1619, twenty Africans were forcefully brought to Jamestown, Virginia and sold into slavery. This marked the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade, which would ultimately take some 12 million Africans away from their homes and cultures into hereditary chattel slavery.
It has been 400 years since that tragic event – four centuries of slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, and racism which persists today. The ELCA continues to grapple with its complicity in these injustices.
On August 25th, many churches and communities will be marking this quad-centennial of “Landing Day.” The congregations of the Southwest California Synod are encouraged to participate in this commemoration in several ways:
- If your church has bells, ring them for one minute at noon. More information can be found here.
- Collect a special offering for the African Descent Ministries within our synod. Donations can be sent to the SWCA Synod office - please include "African Descent Ministries" in the memo line.
Resource Authors: Rev. Jessica A. Harren, Rev. Jennie Chrien,
and Ms. Jess Davis, MA
