The Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project (MPCPMP) installs markers and conducts ceremonies to commemorate the first arrivals of captured Africans at North American ports during the period of slavery. The MPCPMP recognizes and honors the two million captive Africans who perished during the Middle Passage and the ten million who survived by placing markers at Ports of Entry and holding remembrance ceremonies.
The infamous Middle Passage was the middle leg of a triangular ocean path in the slave trade industry, which ran from Europe to Africa, Africa to the Americas, and then back to Europe. Slaver ships would bring trade goods to the African coast to exchange for captured Africans, who then brought their captors on the middle leg of their journey to American ports where these kidnapped individuals were exchanged for trade goods such as tobacco to be taken back to Europe. Anne Arundel County has two documented sites, Annapolis and Londontown, recognized through the MPCPMP as arrival sites.
Annapolis, Maryland
The Port of Annapolis was recognized by this UNESCO-supported project with a moving ceremony at the City Dock in 2013. In 2022, a commemorative sign will be placed at City Dock. Click here to learn more.
Londontown, Maryland
The Port of London Town was recognized by this UNESCO-supported project in 2018 as a Site of Remembrance. The London Town Foundation looks forward to holding a ceremony and will install a historic marker in the coming year.