Twenty-five years have passed since the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial was installed at the Annapolis City Dock where passersby can see memorialized sculptures of author Alex Haley reading to three attentive children with a book in his lap. Near this area, Haley’s ancestor, Kunta Kunte was brought to the shores of Annapolis aboard the Lord Ligonier from the Gambia in 1767 and sold into slavery.
Photo credit: Courtesy of the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, Inc.
“It (the memorial) also symbolizes the importance of sharing your family’s story regardless of your ethnicity. That is why the children were created to represent different cultures: African American, European, and Asian,” said Chris Haley, nephew of Alex Haley.
He added, “The Compass Rose which sits embedded in the front entrance of the Market House is a spot where from its center you can look out toward the geographical direction of the continent of your ancestors. This was created to indicate clearly that while “Roots’” core story is of one family’s ultimate evolution from the horrors of slavery; its broader theme is inclusive of all people and their immigrant forebears.”
Chris works as the Director of Research, Education and Outreach, and the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland, Maryland State Archives, and also serves as a member of the advisory board of the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, Inc.
Patsy Baker Blackshear, Ph.D., president of Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, Inc. added that the Memorial was created through a shared responsibility of many within the community who worked together to obtain approvals, raise funds, create the Memorial design, and identify and select the artisans, to make the Memorial a true reality.
“This community endeavor was led by [my late husband] Leonard A. Blackshear and completed in stages, over a decade-long period,” said Dr. Baker Blackshear.
She recalled that the attendees at the December 9, 1999, dedication and unveiling of the Memorial included Leonard A. Blackshear; Master of Ceremonies, Carl Snowden; actor John Amos who provided the keynote address; Edward Dwight, the Memorial’s sculptor; Anne Arundel County Executive, Janet Owens; Governor Parris Glendening; and other officials and individuals.
She further explained that Leonard first led the effort to create the Kunta Kinte Festival. After Alex Haley’s death, he led the effort to create the Kunte Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation. It became the lead and sponsoring organization for the Memorial’s creation.
“The Memorial was inspired by the work of Alex Haley in searching for his family heritage, as represented in the book ‘Roots,’” Dr. Baker Blackshear also stated.
Time has passed, but the value of the well-known Memorial has not faded. Dr. Baker Blackshear, Chris Haley, and Eric Elston, PhD. created the three-person 25th Year Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial Anniversary Committee to plan a commemorative event. The celebration, hosted by the Kunte Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation at the Annapolis City Dock, located at 1 Dock Street on December 9, 2024, at 1 p.m., will offer a chance to reflect on the value of history that should never be forgotten.
The program at Annapolis City Dock will include David Fakunle, Chair, Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Michael Twitty, an award-winning culinary historian; Dr. Omékongo Dibinga, author of “Lies About Black People”; Lady Brion, Maryland’s Poet Laureate; Bill Haley, grandson of Alex Haley; and Chris Haley. Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman will also address attendees, in addition to Dr. Baker Blackshear. Local activist, Carl Snowden, will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event, just as he did in 1999 during the dedication and unveiling of the Memorial. A delegation of officials, including the Minister of Tourism & Culture, Abdoulie Jobe, and the Director General of the National Center for Arts & Culture, Hassoum Ceesaay are expected to attend the celebration.
Awards will be presented to six integral contributors to the initial Memorial effort, and Watermark, LLC. The company will receive the award for its continuous support to the African American heritage efforts. However, registration is now closed for the afternoon Banneker Douglass Tubman Museum reception due to space limitations.
Chris wants event attendees to feel compelled to talk to their family members about their own stories.
“Not everybody had a Kunta Kinte or an Alex Haley, but everyone had someone who preceded them despite whatever human struggles they experienced and they, too, had stories to tell.”
Visit https://kintehaley.org/conferences/25-year-anniversary-celebration to learn more about the forthcoming celebration that is free and open to the public.
History is part of human civilization. But a true history tells us about something real . Kunta kinteh’s history is a true history and having the decedants in both Juffureh and USA is a clear manifestation to the whole world that he was not only a mandinka warrior but from a noble clan family.
Alex Haley the author of Roots was suuceesful to tress his true ancestral saga and this research had been very instrumental to inform the whole world about kunta kinteh and today am proud to see myself being part of the 9th generation brother.
We recommend the efforts of Christ, Bill Haley and the entire family members of roots of kunta kinteh making the story alive .