African Americans in Virginia explained

Group:	Black Virginians
Total:	1,607,581
Total Ref:	^[1]
Languages:	Southern American English, African American English
Religions:	Historically Black Protestant^[2]

African Americans are the largest racial minority in Virginia. According to the 2010 Census, more than 1.5 million, or one in five Virginians is "Black or African American". African Americans were enslaved in the state.^[3] As of the 2020 U.S. Census, African Americans were 18.6% of the state's population.^[4]

History

The first twenty African slaves from Angola landed in Virginia in 1619 on a Portuguese slave ship.^[5] Lynchings, racial segregation and white supremacy were prevalent in Virginia.^[6] The first African slaves arrived in the British colony Jamestown, Virginia and were then bought by English colonists.^[7]

Great Dismal Swamp maroons fled to swamps in Virginia to escape slavery.^[8]

Notable People

• Chris Brown
• Trey Songz
• Missy Elliott
• Booker T. Washington
• Pharrell Williams
• Wanda Sykes
• Plaxico Burress

See also

• Great Dismal Swamp maroons
• Black Southerners
• First Africans in Virginia
• History of slavery in Virginia
• Demographics of Virginia
• List of African-American newspapers in Virginia

Notes and References

1. Web site: Black Population by State .
2. Web site: Religious Landscape Study .
3. Web site: Claibourn . Michele P. . Blacks in Virginia: Demographic Trends in Historical Context . Weldon Cooper Center . University of Virginia . May 28, 2022.
4. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/virginia-population-change-between-census-decade.html VIRGINIA: 2020 Census
5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/02/06/virginia-is-birthplace-american-slavery-segregation-it-still-cant-escape-that-legacy/ Virginia is the birthplace of American slavery and segregation — and it still can't escape that legacy
6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/02/06/virginia-is-birthplace-american-slavery-segregation-it-still-cant-escape-that-legacy/ Virginia is the birthplace of American slavery and segregation — and it still can't escape that legacy
7. https://www.history.com/.amp/this-day-in-history/first-african-slave-ship-arrives-jamestown-colony First Enslaved Africans Arrive in Jamestown Colony
8. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/petit-marronage-in-the-great-dismal-swamp/ Petit Marronage in the Great Dismal Swamp