Conferences & Events
A Recap:
The 25 Year Anniversary Celebration of the Alex Haley Memorial
25 Year Anniversary Celebration Reinforced the Importance of the Alex Haley Memorial

Dr. Patsy Blackshear along with The First Lady of the State of Maryland, Dawn Flythe Moore
On December 9, 2024, the Annapolis area community participated in the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial. The celebration occurred exactly 25 years from the December 9, 1999 date, on which the Alex Haley statue grouping was placed at the City Dock of Annapolis, and highlighted the significant presence the Memorial continues to hold in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the State of Maryland.
For days before the celebration, the weather had an ominous 95% rain forecast. However, the planning committee held steady with their plans to hold the event, with a modified program and a brief wreath ceremony, if necessary. The primary impetus for proceeding was that rescheduling would have been most challenging since the attendees included an official delegation traveling from the country of The Gambia, Kunta Kinte’s homeland. An old tale shared by Chris Haley, Alex Haley’s nephew came to fruition, as Chris shared the story that to stave off rain, place a knife in a half-full glass of water, and even with a rain forecast of 95%, the plans for the day were not compromised by rain.
As planned the program included two major components:
- A remembrance ceremony on the City Dock of Annapolis,
- Followed by a reception at Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum.
These two celebration components were linked with a ceremonial walk from the City Dock to the Museum.
Remembrance Ceremony at The City Dock
In addition to the official delegation from The Gambia, a host of local and state legislative officials were in attendance, with remarks being given by several special guest attendees including:
Beyond these previously noted guests, the official program included a keynote presentation by Dr. Omékongo Dibinga, a motivational speaker, trilingual poet, TV talk show host, rapper, and professor of cross-cultural communication at American University.
Other Featured Presenters, Speakers, and Guests included:
- Special poetry by The Poet Laureate of Maryland, Lady Brion,
- a ceremonial libation provided by award-winning Author and Chef, Michael W. Twitty, and
- the calling together kickoff for the event led by Dr. David O. Fakunle, Chair of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Dr Fakunle also led the ceremonial walk up Main Street with a drumming possession, along with County Executive Pittman, Mayor Buckley, and co-chairs of the event, Dr. Patsy Baker Blackshear, Chris Haley, Dr. Eric Elston, and the mass of celebration attendees.
Many members of the planning committee also participated in the event for the day, including the master of ceremonies for the City Dock program, Carl Snowden, and the master of ceremonies for the reception program, Dr. Eric Elston.
Reception at Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum
The reception included awards to individuals who helped to make the Memorial possible or who continue to promote and sustain the vision of the Memorial. Award recipients included:
- Judith Cabral,
- Gary Schwerzler,
- Carl Snowden,
- Michael Greentree (Deceased – Award accepted by his wife Kathy Greentree),
- Julius Haley (Deceased – Award accepted by his son Chris Haley),
- Phoebe Jacobsen (Deceased – Award accepted by her work colleague Chris Haley), and
- Watermark (Award accepted by Captain Jake Iverson).
Further, the reception also included comments from members of The Gambian delegation, with some rescheduled components of the City Dock presentations, moved indoors because of threatening rain.
25th Anniversary: Kinte-Haley Memorial Reflections
In addition, the reception included a 20-minute video created to tell the history of the creation of the Memorial. View the video below.
The 25-Year Anniversary Celebration was organized to recognize the significant and positive impact made by the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial to the City of Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, and the State of Maryland. It has become a source of inspiration to the community, and a clearly recognizable iconic landmark for the region, whose presence is a true testimony to the importance of family history and heritage, as promoted by Alex Haley in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Roots.
Remember the Day
Here are a few links to help you relive the celebration:
Videos
Photos
- 25th Year Anniversary of the Alex Haley Memorial
- Dock Ceremony
- Reception (Coming Soon)
- Download the PDF version of the program (Coming Soon)