The Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM) is excited to announce that it will continue its Second Saturday program on October 12th. Families are invited to join FAM staff from 11 AM – 2 PM and learn about Fredericksburg’s Sister City, Princes Town. Families can participate in a variety of Ghanaian crafts and activities including making their own headdress inspired by the Ghanaian festival, Kundum. This event is FREE and open to the public.

Second Saturdays at the Museum is a regularly scheduled family program that includes hands-on activities, and an opportunity to explore the Museum’s exhibits.  This free program is held on the second Saturday of each month at 11 AM, and encourages visitors to explore a new piece of Fredericksburg’s history each month.

Second Saturday: Princes Town is part of a year-long program series titled, Hen Asem. This series was established by FAM in conjunction with the Congressional 400 Years of African American History Commission to develop and carry out activities throughout the United States to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in the English colonies at Point Comfort, VA, in 1619. Virginia officially kicked-off the state commemoration, American Evolution in October 2018, and the FAM’s programming supports not only the state’s commemoration, but also the Nation’s. In addition, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced that 2019 is the “Year of Return” for descendants of all Africans captured and transported to the Americas as slaves. FAM’s programming aims to bring these international initiatives to the local level.

Derived from the fante/twi words of the Ghanaian language, Hen Asem means “Our Story.” Programming will include a lineup of performances, workshops, lectures, school events, and family programming focused on African American stories, with attention to the beginning of the passage of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This series hopes to bring Fredericksburg closer to its African connections.

This pivotal program series is graciously sponsored by the City of Fredericksburg. Support provided by the City enables FAM’s Hen Asem committee to present quality cultural and educational programming in an effort to unify and better understand our diverse community and history.

For more information, contact Theresa Cramer (540-371-3037 x 138) or Sonja P. Wise (540-372-1010 x 304). The FAM collects, researches, interprets, teaches, and preserves the history, heritage, and culture of the Fredericksburg region. We serve a diverse community through a commitment to inclusion, integrity, credibility, and relevance.