top of page

The Arrival of the First Africans in America to their Descendants in the Revolutionary War

Updated: Apr 18

Speaker: Ric Murphy, Educator, Historian, Lecturer, and Award Winning Author

Please join us via Zoom on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, 7-9 pm EDT (UTC-4) for Let's Talk Series: The Arrival of the First Africans in America to their Descendants in the Revolutionary War.


Documented Africans arrived on the shores of English America in August 1619. Their contributions sustained the earliest days of the English colonies, and in the dawn of the American Revolution, Americans of African descent heard the patriotic call for liberty. From noted author and documentarian Ric Murphy explores the untold story of America’s Arrival of the First Africans and the legacy they left behind.


Ric Murphy is an educator, historian, lecturer, and award winning author, including the highly acclaimed Freedom Road. Ric was a Senior Executive Fellow at Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government; and he has a Masters in Urban Affairs from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Massachusetts. Mr. Murphy has served in elected and appointed positions within state and local governments, and has taught and lectured at the post secondary level. He has served as Chairman of the Board of several private and community based organizations; served on numerous national, local and not-for-profit Boards of Directors; served on countless Advisory Boards to community based organizations and not-for-profits; and has received numerous awards for his public activism and community work. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and his family lineage dates to the earliest colonial periods of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and of Jamestown, Virginia. His family lineage has been evaluated and accepted by the Daughters of the American Revolution, the National Society of the Sons of Colonial New England, the Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, and the Society of the First African Families of English America. In his writings, Murphy explores the roles and rich contributions made by African Americans in United States history. He lives and works in Washington, D.C..


Before the Event

Although not required to attend this event, we suggest the following materials:


Where and how you choose to spend money has power. Please consider purchasing books from a black-owned bookstore.


All registered participants will have access to a brief pre-event survey that allows questions to be submitted to our speaker.


During the Event

This is a webinar style event. All registered participants will have the opportunity to submit questions to our speaker. Questions will be screened and asked, given the time allowed.


After the Event

All registered participants will receive a post-event email including a survey and additional resources. A recording of the event will be publicly available on the Dock C. Bracy Center for Human Reconciliation website, in the days following our event.



Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Boston 7:00 pm EDT (UTC-4)

Chicago 6:00 pm CDT (UTC-5)

Salt Lake City 5:00 pm MDT (UTC-6)

Seattle 4:00 pm PDT (UTC-7)

Honolulu 1:00 pm HST (UTC-10

Corresponding UTC (GMT) 23:00



Documentary Official Site: https://www.arrivalfirstafricans.com

Facebook: Arrival of the First Africans in English America https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091928165129

Twitter: @1stafricans https://twitter.com/1stafricans

Instagram: @arrivalfirstafricans https://www.instagram.com/arrivalfirstafricans

bottom of page