Every March 25, the world pauses to observe the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. In the United States, this solemn day is often aligned with National Freedom Day—a moment set aside to honor the lives and legacies of millions of enslaved Africans and their descendants. It’s more than a date on the calendar; it’s a call to reflect on the past, reckon with its impact, and commit to ending the injustices still lingering today.
The Forgotten Names on the San Juan Bautista
In 1619, history took a dark turn when a Spanish slave ship, the San Juan Bautista (or São João Bautista), left the shores of the Ndongo and Kongo kingdoms—what is now Angola—with roughly 350 kidnapped Africans. Crammed into its hull under horrific conditions, nearly 160 people died before the ship even neared land. These were human beings, robbed of names, futures, and dignity—gone before ever touching foreign soil.
As the vessel approached Veracruz, Mexico that summer, it was ambushed by two English privateer ships in the Bay of Campeche: the White Lion and the Treasurer. Expecting gold, the pirates instead took something far more tragic—60 surviving human beings.
From the Bay of Campeche to Point Comfort
By August 25, 1619, a number of those stolen Africans arrived at Point Comfort—what we now know as Hampton, Virginia. There, they were bartered for food and provisions. That transaction, quiet and crude, became the first documented sale of enslaved Africans in what would become the United States. It marked the beginning of English North America’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade.
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It’s chilling to imagine the suffering they had already endured. Captured by force or betrayal, marched to Luanda—the so-called “door of no return”—many had already been separated from children, traded in Jamaica, and stripped of any control over their own lives. By the time they reached Virginia, trauma wasn’t just a possibility—it was an inevitability.
Pirates, Profit, and the Origins of Injustice
The involvement of pirates in this early history is especially disturbing. Known for chasing gold and treasure, they were now trafficking people—proof that human lives had become as transactional as any cargo. There were no laws yet formalizing slavery in the English colonies, so for a brief moment, these Africans may have been recorded as indentured servants. But that distinction offered little protection. They were still treated as property, as tools for profit.
Ironically, historians note that their fate in Point Comfort might have been marginally “less brutal” than what awaited enslaved Africans in Veracruz—Mexico’s hub of human trafficking in the 1600s. There, they were sent to grueling plantations and mines where death often came quicker than freedom.
From Memory to Modern-Day Mission
In 2009, Hampton Mayor Molly Ward issued a proclamation cementing the city’s place in this history. She recognized it as the landing site of the first recorded Africans in English North America, linking it to the International Day of Remembrance. It was a powerful acknowledgement—one that many community members still remember with pride and emotion.
But the story doesn’t end with recognition. National Freedom Day serves as both tribute and warning. Though centuries have passed, modern slavery still exists. Human trafficking, forced labor, and exploitation continue to haunt our global society—proof that the fight for true freedom is far from over.
A Legacy That Demands Action
The lives lost aboard the San Juan Bautista, the souls sold at Point Comfort, and the millions who followed—they deserve more than remembrance. They deserve our commitment to justice. Observing National Freedom Day is not just about looking back; it’s about standing up now. For their memory. For our dignity. And for a future where no one is ever treated as less than human.
Let this day be more than symbolic. Let it stir us to act.
