News
Members of Bread for the World’s Pan African Young Adult Network embarked on a pilgrimage to Jamestown, Virginia (USA) on 23-25 August to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved African peoples in 1619.
Ten of them participated in the 2019 Commemorative Ceremony and Program at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. They also visited two historic African American churches, Carver Memorial Presbyterian Church in Newport News and St Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, where they joined in conversation and sharing about prayer and advocacy to end hunger with church leaders and members. They also learned more about the history of the area.
During the trip, the young adults documented what they saw and learned, reflecting in writing about their experience.
“Given the current state of national and global affairs, the pilgrimage comes at an opportune time,” said Derick Dailey, convener. “As forces attempt to replicate centuries old modes of racial and gendered oppression, I pray that those attending might lend their ears to hear what the ancestors are saying to us as we deepen our advocacy to end hunger.”
Earlier this year, Bread for the World released a Pan African devotional guide, “Lament and Hope,” which commemorates the quad-centennial anniversary of the arrival of enslaved African peoples. “Lament and Hope” celebrates the hope, faith, and resistance of African and African-descended people, while at the same time lamenting the evil and horror of slavery, racism, and inequitable policies.
The young adults, from the African diaspora, are deeply concerned about the state of black poverty across the globe. They seek to effectively achieve ending world hunger by 2030.
